Dhananjay Munde plotted to murder me, claims Jarange-Patil with ‘proof’

Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil claims NCP MLA Dhananjay Munde plotted his assassination, while Munde denies the allegations and calls for a CBI probe.

MUMBAI: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil on Friday made a serious allegation about a conspiracy hatched to assassinate him, and has named NCP MLA and former minister Dhananjay Munde as its mastermind. He alleged that Munde hired hitmen for contract killing by offering ₹2.5 crore. In response, Munde denied all charges immediately and demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the matter.

Manoj Jarange Patil . File photo ( Praful Gangurde / HT Photo )

The allegations came a day after Jalna police arrested two men, Dada Garad and Amol Khune, from Beed, after Jarange-Patil’s close associate, Gangadhar Kalkute, filed a complaint alleging they were plotting Jarange-Patil’s murder. Both the accused were remanded to police custody till November 12.

Munde, who termed the allegations as baseless, also demanded a narco-analysis test and a brain mapping for him, Jarange-Patil, and the other arrested accused. Jarange-Patil responded, saying that he would file an application with the local court for a narco-analysis test. A narco-analysis test, undertaken in a controlled environment, induces the subject to a hypnotised state to lower their inhibitions, so that they are less likely to lie.

On the other hand, Jarange-Patil, along with allegations, also shared details of the alleged plans to murder him. “Dhananjay Munde plotted to murder me. A person identified as Kanchan, who is Munde’s PA, had in fact taken the suspects to the Parli guest house, where they had a meeting with Munde,” he said, and asked the police to use call detail record (CDR) to verify his claims.

“Another meeting took place at the Niketan Building, opposite the Sahyadri Guest House, where the accused planned to kill me in a “road accident”. He then asked for a car to get it done, Munde agreed to give an old car from outside Maharashtra,” alleged the Maratha activist.

He claimed that around eight to 10 people were involved in the conspiracy. He also played two audio clips of telephonic conversations – one allegedly between Munde and an accused, the other between the two arrested accused about killing Jarange-Patil.

In the last three years, Jarange-Patil has become the face of the Maratha community in their demand for reservations. His latest indefinite hunger strike at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan in August compelled the government to accept the Hyderabad Gazette as a valid document to prove the Kunbi credentials of Marathas, allowing them to obtain Kunbi certificates.

Munde, who was removed from the ministerial position over his links with Walmik Karad, the main accused in the murder of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, contested all the charges and termed them as malicious. “These are baseless and malicious charges. I will request the chief minister (Devendra Fadnavis) for a CBI probe in the matter.”

Talking about the audio clips, the senior NCP leader questioned their authenticity. “He is free to make any claim, as anything can be made with the help of artificial intelligence these days,” Munde then clarified, “Meeting a person who was later arrested in the case does not mean I was part of the plan.”