Massive all-party march in Parbhani over Beed sarpanch’s murder
Elected representatives and organisations representing the Maratha community also demanded the dismissal of state food and civil supplies minister, Dhananjay Munde, accused of shielding Walmik Karad, the alleged mastermind of the murder, who surrendered on Tuesday
MUMBAI: A massive all-party march was held in Parbhani city in Maharashtra on Saturday to demand an investigation into the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, that would not spare “politically mighty” individuals involved in the case. Elected representatives and organisations representing the Maratha community also demanded the dismissal of state food and civil supplies minister, Dhananjay Munde, accused of shielding Walmik Karad, the alleged mastermind of the murder, who surrendered on Tuesday.

This is the second march that has brought together leaders and others across political parties seeking ‘justice for Deshmukh’. On December 28, a protest march was held in Beed, attended by around 50,000 participants. The march in Parbhani too was attended by MLAs, MPs and leaders from both ruling and opposition parties. The murder has taken a political turn, deepening the rift between the Maratha and OBC communities as Karad and the accused in the murder belong to the Vanjari community, a part of the Other Backward Classes.
While Munde has claimed he is not linked to Deskmukh’s murder and has no reason to step down, demands for his dismissal are growing louder. Without specifically naming Munde, an NCP minister elected from the Parli assembly constituency in Beed district, BJP MLA Suresh Dhas said Munde should be put behind bars. Speaking at Saturday’s rally held at a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji after the march, Dhas said the individuals behind the ‘Beed pattern’ should be booked under MCOCA for their involvement in the multi-crore crop-insurance scam.
Dhas also blamed NCP chief Ajit Pawar for inducting Munde into the state cabinet. “Why was he made a minister instead of other, eligible leaders from the region? The district has seen a number of murders in the past, and the number is very high. If these murders are thoroughly investigated, the mastermind behind them will be revealed,” he said.
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil hit out at Munde for threats allegedly received by relatives of the slain sarpanch. “Deshmukh’s brother has been threatened because he has been pursuing the case. I generally do not name people without proof, but Dhananjay Munde has crossed all limits. I am warning him, if he continues harassing our people, we will not let you travel on the roads. I hope chief minister Devendra Fadnavis keeps his word of not sparing anybody involved in the murder. I also hope he will not shield ministers from his cabinet. If that happens, we will not tolerate it,” he said.
Jarange-Patil also demanded that the people helping the accused in the murder case be named co-accused in the case. “The accused responsible for killing people are being shielded by a few people. Why were all the accused camping in Pune and why were they arrested from there? Who are the individuals shielding these criminals? Narco tests should be performed on them.”
He said there were apprehensions that the chargesheet would be designed with loopholes to spare the accused. “But we will not let that happen. The government must ensure that the killers are hanged,” said Jarange-Patil.
NCP (SP) MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar said that the Call Detail Records of the accused should be examined, to unmask the “mastermind of the case”. “Everybody knows who Walmik Karad’s godfather is. (Dhananjay) Munde should be removed from the cabinet. The accused should be hanged,” he said. BJP leader Narendra Patil too demanded Munde’s dismissal and called him the “mastermind” behind Deshmukh’s murder.
Other prominent participants in Saturday’s march were NCP (SP) MP from Beed, Bajrang Sonavane; Shiv Sena (UBT) MP from Parbhani, Sanjay Jadhav; NCP MLA Rajesh Vitekar; Jyoti Mete of the Shivsangram Party, and family members of the slain sarpanch.
Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde said, “We will ensure that the accused is not spared. Government agencies are probing the case in that direction. We will try the murder case in fast track to ensure that the culprits are severely punished.”

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