Fadnavis announces judicial probe, transfers SP; Munde’s aide booked under MCOCA for extortion

Maharashtra CM Fadnavis announced a judicial probe into the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh and transferred the local police chief amid political uproar.

NAGPUR: Nearly 10 days after the brutal killing of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village, Beed district, and the ensuing political storm, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced judicial probe in the case and transferred the local superintendent of police Avinash Bargal for failing to take prompt action, on Friday. The CM added that a special investigation team (SIT) has been formed under an inspector general of police to investigate the case earlier.

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis (PTI)

In Friday’s session of the legislature, responding to the Opposition’s charge of rampant lawlessness in the district which they claimed the Mahayuti government had been unable to curb, Fadnavis expressed his resolve to weed out criminality in Beed district. Additionally, he said, Walmik Karad, a close aide of NCP minister Dhananjay Munde and his accomplices would be booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) for organised criminal activities.

Fadnavis has also announced an ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh to Deshmukh’s next of kin.

Deshmukh, a three-term sarpanch of Massajog, in Kej tehsil of Beed, was killed on December 9, after he tried to intervene in an extortion bid at a wind energy plant, Avada Green Energy (AGE), at Massajog village, by a group of criminals on a highway between Beed and Sambhaji Nagar. The accused had been allegedly running an extortion racket. Fadnavis said, “The judicial probe will also involve other criminal cases in the Beed; the report is expected to be submitted in three to six months.”

While announcing Bargal’s suspension, Fadnavis promised that police in the region will be asked to “undertake a drive to crackdown against sand and land mafia, and criminals threatening industries”.

The accused in the murder -- Ashok Ghule, Pradeep Ghule and Sudarshan Ghule -- intercepted Deshmukh near a toll plaza, smashed his car’s windows and brutally assaulted him with wires and blunt objects living him dead on the spot.

Fadnavis threw light on the course of events that led to the murder: earlier, when the accused tried to enter the plant on December 6, they were stopped at the gate by security guard Amarjeet Sonawane, following which both the guard and project engineer Shivajiraj Thopte were assaulted. On learning about the incident, Deshmukh reached the spot to intervene; an altercation ensued between the accused, and Deshmukh and the villagers, following which the latter group assaulted the accused for creating a ruckus in the village.

Four days later, Deshmukh was abducted allegedly by the accused, in the presence of his cousin, who was in the car with him at the time. On learning about the abduction, Deshmukh’s brother, contacted Vishnu Chate, a close aide of Walmik Karad, urging him to spare Deshmukh. “Chate told him that Deshmukh would reach home in 20 minutes. His body however was found by the police later,” Fadnavis said in the legislative assembly.

Fadnavis said, “On November 29, Karad demanded ₹2 crore from AGE by speaking to company officials from Vishnu Chate’s mobile number. He threatened to stall the windmill power plant if the ransom was not paid. Later, Sudarshan Ghule, another aide of Karad, reached the premises with renewed threat of shut-down if the company failed to pay up. A case of extortion has been registered against Karad and others.”

He said action will be taken against Karad and others under the stringent MCOCA aimed at organised crime.

The opposition however expressed displeasure over Fadnavis’s move and staged a walk-out from the assembly. “Munde has admitted that Karad is his close aide, despite which no action has been taken against Munde. How can action against Karad be taken if Munde was in the cabinet. There would be no action against Karad too,” said Jitendra Awhad, NCP-SP leader, outside the assembly on Friday.

Dhananjay Munde, said: “I welcome the announcement of booking the accused under MCOCA. It was a brutal murder and the culprits need to be hanged at the earliest. The SIT has been constituted and the truth will soon come to the fore.”