Manoj Jarange booked for derogatory remarks against minister Dhananjay Munde and Vanjari community

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A case has been filed against Manoj Jarange, a prominent Maratha quota activist, for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Maharashtra state minister Dhananjay Munde and his community during a public rally in Parbhani.

The complaint was lodged in Latur district at Kingaon police station on Tuesday, as per the local police.

According to the complaint filed by Kishor Munde, a supporter of the minister, Jarange made offensive and inflammatory statements about Dhananjay Munde and the Vanjari community, to which the minister belongs.

These remarks were allegedly made during a public rally held in Parbhani on January 4, an event that also involved several political figures from both opposition and ruling parties.

Assistant police inspector Sahebrao Khandare confirmed to PTI that the complaint stated Jarange's comments had deeply hurt the sentiments of the Vanjari community.

The rally, held on January 4, was aimed at drawing attention to the case of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, whose murder had yet to see a thorough investigation.

Protesters at the rally demanded a swift and unbiased investigation into Deshmukh's murder, free from any political influence.

In addition to Jarange, some political leaders from both sides of the spectrum took part in the rally, which also saw calls for the resignation of Dhananjay Munde.

The reason behind these demands was an alleged connection between Munde's aide, Valmik Karad, and the murder case of Deshmukh.

Following the complaint, the police have registered a non-cognisable offence under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Section 352 (intentional insult), Sections 351(2) and 351(3) (criminal intimidation), and Section 3(5) (common intention).

Beed sarpanch murder: Manoj Jarange booked for 'defamatory' remarks against Dhananjay Munde

An official said that the Beed police have booked Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange for allegedly making defamatory remarks against Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde over the murder of a sarpanch in the district, reported news agency PTI.

Following a complaint by one Tukaram Aghav, the Parli police on Sunday registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Jarange over the remarks and on charges of creating a divide in the society, reported PTI.

(With inputs from PTI)