Murder of Beed Sarpanch: Dhananjay Munde Resigns

Mumbai, March 4 (NationPress) In the midst of escalating outrage over the gruesome murder of Massajog Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh from Beed district, Dhananjay Munde, Minister of Food and Civil Supplies and a leader of the NCP, submitted his resignation on Tuesday following orders from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Munde’s personal aide delivered the resignation letter to the Chief Minister’s Office at CM Fadnavis’ 'Sagar' bungalow.

Due to his diagnosis of Bell’s Palsy (partial paralysis), Munde chose not to present himself in person and remained at his official residence.

The opposition organized a protest at the entrance of Vidhan Bhavan, calling for the resignation of both Munde and Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate, the latter of whom was convicted in a case involving fake documents.

Despite his initial resistance to resign, CM Fadnavis insisted, particularly as calls for his resignation grew louder from both ruling and opposition parties, as well as various social groups.

Munde's resignation followed the viral dissemination of images and videos depicting Deshmukh’s murder on television. Just days prior, a 1800-page charge sheet submitted by the state CID named Munde's close associate Walmik Karad as the mastermind behind the broad daylight killing of Santosh Deshmukh last December. The charge sheet identified all eight suspects, including Karad, while one suspect, Krishna Andhale, remains at large.

Karad has already been charged under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act concerning the extortion case tied to Santosh Deshmukh’s murder. Munde faced immense pressure to resign, yet he and the NCP maintained that his resignation would come only after the investigations by CID, a special investigation team, and a judicial committee concluded.

NCP president and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar reaffirmed the party's condemnation of the heinous murder of the Massajog Sarpanch, stating that a decision regarding Munde's resignation would be made post-investigation and judicial ruling. Ajit Pawar reminded Munde of his own previous resignation on moral grounds amidst the irrigation scam allegations. The Chief Minister subsequently deferred the decision on Munde's resignation to Ajit Pawar.

The charge sheet, filed last week, included matching voice samples of Karad and the company's employees. CCTV footage revealed connections between the suspects in the murder case and the extortion scheme. Police sources indicated that after a CID investigation involving approximately 180 witnesses, Walmik was identified as the mastermind of the crime. Evidence against eight individuals, including Karad, was compiled, and the 'digital' evidence was examined and prepared by the forensic lab under the oversight of Investigation Officer Basavaraj Teli.

In the extortion case, Walmik has been accused of orchestrating the crime, with the charge sheet quoting him saying, 'End him as soon as he comes; otherwise, he will be forced to beg.'

Among the accused, Sudarshan Ghule and his accomplices were implicated in organized crime, with the charge sheet detailing that he and his associates committed 11 crimes over the past 10 years in Kej, Ambajogai in Beed district, and Dharur and Kalamb in Dharashiv district.

According to the charge sheet, on October 8, 2024, Avaada Energy’s Land Acquisition Officer Shivaji Thopte was summoned to meet Walmik Karad at his office in Parli. Present at the meeting was Vishnu Chate, during which Karad threatened, 'If you want to keep the company running, pay Rs 2 crore or else stop all work of Avada Company in Beed district.'

Later, on November 29, Sudarshan Ghule reiterated the same demand, threatening, 'Fulfill Walmik Anna's demand and meet him. Do not start the work until then.' Shivaji Thopte was abused, assaulted, and threatened to pay Rs 2 crore or face closure of the company.

Following this, the company personnel notified Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh about the incident. Deshmukh approached Sudarshan Ghule and his group, pleading, 'Don't shut the company. Let people have jobs.'

At that moment, since Sudarshan Ghule was leading the extortion demands, he threatened Santosh Deshmukh, warning that he would not let him live.

On the afternoon of November 29, 2024, Walmik Karad, Vishnu Chate, Sudarshan Ghule, Prateek Ghule, Sudhir Sangle, and Krishna Andhale convened at Vishnu Chate's office in Kej to demand that Avaada Energy pay Rs 2 crore. They conspired on the ransom collection and strategized on how to handle Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.

As per the charge sheet, Santosh Deshmukh was kidnapped and murdered at the Dongaon toll plaza on December 9 last year. Since the charge sheet was submitted to the court within 80 days, it will be challenging for the accused to obtain bail, according to police sources. The government has recently appointed senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam as the special prosecutor for this case.