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141 farmers claim Karad cheated them, they met Munde too

Jan 17, 2025 09:13 AM IST

Walmik Karad, the alleged mastermind behind Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh’s murder, faces serious charges from more than 140 farmers

MUMBAI: Walmik Karad, the alleged mastermind behind Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh’s murder, faces serious charges from more than 140 farmers, who claim he took bribes from them so that they could avail a government grant for sugarcane harvesters. They never received the money.

File photo of protests following the murder of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh (Raju Shinde/ Hindustan Times)
File photo of protests following the murder of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh (Raju Shinde/ Hindustan Times)

Karad, described as a local strongman who had unleashed a reign of terror in Beed district, is an associate of food and civil supplies minister Dhananjay Munde, whose dismissal is being sought for his close ties to Karad and his unlawful activities. The farmers’ claim has brought to light another connection that appears to link Karad to Munde – it turns out that the grant for the harvesters was part of the National Agriculture Development Scheme under the state agriculture department headed by Munde in the previous BJP-led Mahayuti alliance government.

The bribes-for-harvesters charge has been made by 141 farmers included in a written complaint submitted to the Pandharpur rural police on Wednesday. The farmers allege that Karad had taken 8 lakh from each of them to get a government grant of 36 lakh each approved by the state agriculture department for sugarcane harvesters they had purchased. According to an order issued in June 2023, the state government had earmarked 321 crore for the grant for 900 farmers.

In their written application to the police, the farmers stated that they had been cheated by Karad, who is currently in police custody after he was arrested under MCOCA in an extortion case linked to the sarpanch’s murder. They claimed 141 farmers had had paid 8 lakh each to two of Karad’s aides in the presence of Karad in various places in the state, including Panvel in Raigad district and Beed. The money was handed over in cash in September 2023, they stated, adding that one such meeting was attended by Munde himself, when he was agriculture minister.

Complainants Annasaheb Bagal and Rajendra Gandole said that 19 farmers had signed the complaint to the Pandharpur police and that more complaints would be registered in other districts.

They said that over 50 complainants had given the money to Karad’s aides on September 14, 2023, at a Panvel hotel in his presence. “A day before that, we were assured by Munde that the grant would be given to us after Walmik Karad approved our names, and that we should deal with him directly. We met Munde at Sahyadri guest house (the state government guest house in Mumbai),” Bagal said.

The farmers waited for six months to receive the promised grant but when it was not forthcoming, they demanded their money back. When they were stonewalled, they went to meet Munde and Karad at a hotel in Beed, where Munde was campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections in early 2024.

“We were more than 100 farmers gathered at the hotel. Walmik Karad’s aides threatened to attack us and we had to leave,” said Bagal, who had purchased a harvester in 2018 for 92 lakh and was assured a government grant of 37 lakh.

The Pandharpur police are recording the statements of five of the complainants under their jurisdiction and have told the others to register complaints in their respective police stations. Shirish Humbe, police inspector, Pandharpur rural police, said, “After receiving the complaint, we have already registered the statements of four complainants but they have not provided any proof. We have asked them to submit proof in any form, including audio and video formats, and have given them time to do this. We need evidence that will stand up in court and to file a chargesheet.”

Dhananjay Munde did not respond to calls and text messages for his comment on the allegations. However, his personal assistant said he would be available for comment on Friday.

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