107 inspectors-level cops seek transfer out of Beed

MUMBAI: In Beed, one-third of inspector-level police have requested transfers amid fears of being scapegoated in the murder trial of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.

MUMBAI: One-third of inspector-level police officers in Beed district – as many as 107 – have sought transfers out of the district, eager to distance themselves from a jurisdiction associated with the horrific murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village, and the reign of terror that allegedly led to his death.

Beed, India. Feb 21, 2025: Mossajog villagers displayed posters across Beed district demanding justice for Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, who was brutally killed on December 9, 2024, by men connected to a local strongman. Beed, India. Feb 21, 2025. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Hindustan Times)

The transfer applications have been submitted to Beed superintendent of police Navneet Kanwat in the run-up to April-May, when routine transfers take place every year. This year, however, an unusually high number of officers of inspector-level rank have sought transfers, said a senior police officer from Beed. The officers are worried about being made scapegoats as the Deshmukh murder trial unfolds, he said. Many simply don’t want to taint their service record.

“Around 25 of the officers who have applied for a transfer have completed their mandatory 4-year tenure in Beed and are due for a transfer. But the remaining 82 officers are keen to avoid difficulties such as departmental proceedings and political pressure,” the police officer added.

Inspector-level officers form the backbone of law-enforcement as they are tasked with investigating crimes, especially serious offences. They include police sub-inspectors, assistant police inspectors, police inspectors and senior police inspectors.

“After Deshmukh’s murder, things have grown very tense in Beed, often making policing difficult. The caste divide in the district has also made it difficult to do our job. For instance, when we try to take action against people accused of crimes, they bring in the caste angle and bring unnecessary pressure on us in order to avoid the action,” an officer who has applied for a transfer told HT.

A senior officer from Beed said the flood of transfer applications is very distressing, adding that the district-level police leadership is trying to calm apprehensions among the rank and file. “We are assuring police personnel of all ranks that departmental proceedings would not be initiated based on false accusations or due to public pressure or political interference,” a senior officer said.

Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was kidnapped, tortured and killed on December 9 last year, and his body left by a highway, after he thwarted an extortion attempt on a local energy company. The case has consistently made headlines, not only due to the brutal nature of the murder but also because it soon took a political turn, leading to the recent resignation of food and civil supplies minister Dhananjay Munde. The former minister was under pressure to quit due to his close links to Walmik Karad, a prime accused in the case. Karad is the alleged mastermind of Deshmukh’s murder and has been accused of creating a sense of lawlessness in Beed. He has allegedly got away with serious offences, thanks to his political benefactors.

On March 11, the state Crime Investigation Department (CID) filed a 1,400-page chargesheet before the Special MCOCA court in Beed, against eight arrested accused, while a ninth suspect is absconding.