Murder of Sarpanch: Opposition Criticizes Police for Accommodating Karad with New Beds in Beed Station

Mumbai, Jan 2 (NationPress) The NCP-SP and Congress criticized the Beed police on Thursday, questioning if the five new beds ordered were intended for the comfort of Walmik Karad, a close associate of NCP minister Dhananjay Munde from Beed, who is wanted in an extortion case connected to the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, who surrendered before the CID in Pune on Tuesday.

An extortion case has been filed against Karad, who has been placed in police custody for 14 days by the Kej court in Beed district.

The police department later explained that the new beds were actually for the staff.

NCP-SP legislator Rohit Pawar expressed skepticism on his post on X, stating, “There are reports of five new beds being ordered at the police station. Although the administration has clarified that these cots are for the staff, many questions arise, such as why were the beds suddenly ordered today? If new beds have been procured for the staff, the same urgency should apply to all police stations in the state.”

“Moreover, it should also be examined whether mattresses, pillows, fans, and air conditioning units can be provided,” he added.

Meanwhile, senior Congress legislator Vijay Wadettiwar criticized the MahaYuti government, questioning whether the five cots for the Beed police station were part of the ‘Ladli Aaropi Yojana (beloved accused scheme)’ for Walmik Karad.

“There are not as many coincidences in films as there are in the police administration’s decision to order five beds just as Walmik Karad has begun a 14-day police custody,” remarked Wadettiwar.

“This marks the start of coddling the accused. Soon he will receive amenities like a television, air conditioning, and gourmet meals,” he further commented.

“Does this government intend to take genuine action against Walmik Karad? If so, the investigation should occur outside of Beed district. Will the authorities investigate the individual who has held the police in their grasp until now, or will it be a mere facade? The government should either cease pretending to take action against Karad or pursue it seriously,” Wadettiwar stated.

“Whether it pertains to the murder of Santosh Deshmukh or a case under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), no charges have been filed against Karad yet, raising doubts regarding the integrity of this investigation,” he noted.

The state government announced on Wednesday the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by IPS officer Basavaraj Teli to probe the heinous murder of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh from Beed district, which occurred in December of the previous year.

Teli, who leads the Economic Offences Wing of the CID, will head the team comprising officers exclusively from Beed district.

The current investigating officer, DYSP Anil Gujar, will also participate in the probe.

Other SIT members include Vijay Singh Shivlal Jonwal, assistant police inspector from the Local Crime Branch, Beed, Mahesh Vighne, sub-inspector from the Local Crime Branch, Beed, Anand Shankar Shinde, sub-inspector from Kej, Tulshiram Jagtap, assistant sub-inspector, Manoj Rajendra Wagh, police constable, Chandrakant S Kalkute, police naik, Balasaheb Devidas Akhabare, police naik, and Santosh Bhagwanrao Gitte, police constable.

The Santosh Deshmukh murder case is currently under investigation by the CID, which has interrogated over 150 individuals related to the case.

The investigation is focused on the connections involving an extortion of ₹2 crore, and the CID team is reviewing all call records and call detail records with urgency.