Sarpanch Murder Rocks Mahayuti : Maharashtra Minister Dhananjay Munde Resigns After Aide Named Mastermind, Chargesheet Points To Brutality

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In  a massive embarrassment for the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra led by Devendra Fadnavis,  minister Dhananjay Munde has resigned from the state cabinet, days after his close aide Walmik Karad was named as the mastermind in the Beed sarpanch murder case.

The resignation followed a vociferous demand by the opposition for Munde’s removal from the cabinet.

Fadnavis held a late-night meeting with Deputy CM and NCP chief Ajit Pawar on Monday, along with senior NCP leaders, including Munde, to discuss the issue.

Reacting to Munde resignation, Shiv Sena (U BT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted on X , High time. Shame that Munde was allowed to continue, was defended, was protected by the government till date. Truth can’t be hidden and yesterday with the images emerging of the way Santosh Deshmukh was murdered, it is people’s outrage that forced government hand.

The Opposition demand for Munde’s resignation intensified after gory photos and court chargesheet details related to the killing of Massajog village sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh surfaced, revealing the brutalities committed before the murder.

Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed, was abducted, tortured and murdered on December 9 last year allegedly for attempting to stop an extortion bid targeting an energy company in the district.

The state Crime Investigation Department (CID) on February 27 filed a more than 1,200-page chargesheet at a court in Beed district in Deshmukh’s murder and two related cases.

Three separate cases – murder of sarpanch, bid to extort money from Avaada company and assault on security guard of the firm – have been registered at Kej police station in Beed. The police have invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against the accused in the cases.

As Maharashtra village sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh was being tortured and killed in December, the assailants recorded 15 videos, clicked eight photos and even made two video calls, police officials said in a chargesheet, documenting the brutality endured by the victim.

The videos and the photos are part of the chargesheet submitted by the Crime Investigation Department before a court in Beed district last week.

Deshmukh, sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was abducted and killed in December for attempting to foil an extortion bid on an energy company. His body riddled with injuries and bearing signs of extreme brutality was found dumped on the roadside.

Seven men, including Walmik Karad, a close aide of state minister Dhananjay Munde, have been arrested so far, while one person has been declared wanted accused.

The videos were shot on a smartphone of one of the accused, Mahesh Kedar, and their duration ranges between 2 seconds and 2.04 minutes, an official said, citing the chargesheet.

The Massajog village head was abducted by six men on December 9 at Dongaon toll plaza and taken in an SUV towards Kej taluka with a silver Swift car following it, he said.

Deshmukh was found unconscious at Daithna Shivar towards Nandur Ghat Road the same evening. He was rushed to a hospital by the Beed Police’s search team, where he was declared dead on arrival.

As per the official, Deshmukh was beaten up by the accused from 3.30 pm to 6 pm by using a gas pipe of 41-inch length with a handle with black string, white pipe, an iron rod with five clutch wires, wooden sticks, a “fighter and dharkatti” (both sharp weapons).