(Image source from: x.com/dhananjay_munde)
Dhananjay Munde, a minister in Maharashtra, has stepped down following the arrest of one of his close associates in relation to the horrific murder of a sarpanch in Beed district back in December. Munde, who was responsible for the food and civil supplies department, resigned under the directive of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, after Walmik Karad, his aide, was detained for allegedly being involved in the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village. Mr. Fadnavis confirmed to reporters that he accepted Munde's resignation and sent it to Governor CP Radhakrishnan. Sources indicate that this decision followed a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, where they deliberated on the political implications arising from the filing of a chargesheet in the sarpanch's murder case and the findings regarding Karad's supposed involvement. Dhananjay Munde, aged forty-nine, serves as an MLA for Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and represents the Parli constituency in the Assembly. He is the nephew of the late Gopinath Munde, a prominent figure in the BJP, and is also related to Maharashtra minister Pankaja Munde. Munde became part of the NCP in 2013 and aligned with Ajit Pawar when the party split in 2023. Previously, he held positions as the Leader of the Opposition in the legislative council and as a state minister during the Uddhav Thackeray administration.
On December 9, Santosh Deshmukh, the 45-year-old sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed, was kidnapped, tortured, and eventually murdered after he attempted to thwart an extortion scheme aimed at an energy firm. The state's Crime Investigation Department (CID) submitted a comprehensive 1,200-page chargesheet to a district court on February 27. This chargesheet details three separate cases concerning the sarpanch's murder, an attempted extortion from the Avaada company, and an attack on a guard employed by the firm. The Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) has been invoked against eight suspects, with seven currently in custody and one still evading arrest. Among those arrested is Karad, Munde's aide, prompting calls for government action against the minister. Deshmukh was forcibly taken by six men in an SUV at the Dongaon toll plaza on December 9 and was subsequently driven towards the Kej taluka. He was discovered unconscious at Daithna Shivar, along the Nandur Ghat Road, later that evening and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Law enforcement officials report that Deshmukh endured severe beatings for over two hours using a gas pipe, an iron rod, wooden sticks, and edged weapons. The chargesheet alleges that he was subjected to torture prior to his death, with the assailants recording fifteen videos, taking eight photographs, and making two video calls to capture the brutality. One of the videos referenced in the chargesheet depicts five assailants attacking Deshmukh with a white pipe and a wooden stick, in addition to kicking and punching him. He is shown in a semi-nude state in the footage. Another video allegedly reveals one of the attackers urinating on him while he is profusely bleeding, according to the chargesheet.
