06 January,2025 04:14 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Maharashtra governor C P Radhakrishnan. Pic/Sameer Abedi
A delegation of leaders met Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan on Monday to demand the removal of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Minister Dhananjay Munde from the state cabinet and to ensure a fair probe into the murder of Beed Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, reported news agency PTI.
Leaders, including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Suresh Dhas, submitted a memorandum to the governor at Raj Bhavan, and urged him to take decisive action to uphold the rule of law and public confidence in the justice system, reported PTI.
Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was abducted, tortured and murdered on December 9, allegedly because he tried to prevent an attempt to extort money from an energy firm operating a windmill project.
Police have so far arrested seven persons in connection with the murder case.
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Walmik Karad, an associate of Munde, surrendered on December 31 and is arrested in the extortion case.
The leaders have demanded Munde's resignation, a murder case against Karad, strict action against negligent police officers, and measures to curb extortion and hooliganism in Beed, reported PTI.
Extortion activities had escalated during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and culminated in Deshmukh's murder, stated the memorandum.
On May 28, 2024, an officer of Avaada Power Pvt Ltd was kidnapped and rescued after timely action by the Ahilyanagar Police, but the cops in Beed were criticised for their lack of proactive measures, the leaders claimed in the memorandum, stated PTI.
The leaders alleged that Karad issued repeated threats to Avaada officials, demanding Rs 2 crore and his associates reportedly attacked security personnel at the company's Massajog storeyard on December 6, 2024.
Deshmukh was allegedly kidnapped, tortured, and murdered on December 9, and a video of the crime was circulated to intimidate others. The body was found in a neighbouring village, the memorandum said.
The residents of Massajog village staged protests demanding the arrest of the accused the next day, but the cases were registered only after public pressure, the leaders said.
The memorandum stated that on December 31, 2024, Karad announced his surrender through a video on social media, and crowds gathered at the CID headquarters in Pune during his surrender, causing disorder, reported PTI.
Questions have been raised about alleged preferential treatment for Karad and the influence of powerful figures on the investigation, the leaders claimed.
The memorandum was signed by former MP Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati, NCP (SP) MP from Beed Bajarang Sonawane, Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar, MLA Jitendra Awhad, among others.
(With inputs from PTI)
