Beed murder: MCOCA against 8; Karad’s exclusion questioned

Deshmukh was abducted, tortured and murdered on December 9 last year for trying to stop an extortion bid on an energy firm helming a windmill project

All seven accused arrested for the murder of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, and one absconding accused, have been charged under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), 1999. However, food and civil supplies minister Dhananjay Munde’s close aide Walmik Karad has neither been charged under MCOCA, nor for Deshmukh’s murder.

The arrested accused booked under MCOCA are Sudarshan Ghule, Sudhir Sangle, Jayram Chate, Vishnu Chate, Siddharth Sonawane, Mahesh Kedar and Prateek Ghule. Krishna Andhale, another accused also booked under the act is at large. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)

Karad has been charged in a case of extortion linked to Deshmukh’s murder but has not been named in the First Information Report (FIR) registered by the local Kej police for the murder. This has raised a storm of protest across political parties as Karad, a local strongman, is believed to be the mastermind behind the killing.

MCOCA confers upon the state government special powers of surveillance, relaxed evidentiary standards and procedural safeguards, and the power to prescribe additional criminal penalties.

Deshmukh was abducted, tortured and murdered on December 9 last year for trying to stop an extortion bid on an energy firm helming a windmill project in the region. Navneet Kanwat, Beed Superintendent of Police, said, “All the accused arrested in the murder case have been booked under MCOCA and legal proceedings have been initiated.”

The arrested accused booked under MCOCA are Sudarshan Ghule, Sudhir Sangle, Jayram Chate, Vishnu Chate, Siddharth Sonawane, Mahesh Kedar and Prateek Ghule. Krishna Andhale, another accused also booked under the act is at large.

Dhananjay Deshmukh, brother of the slain sarpanch, has been vocal in his demand for justice. He believes the investigation, being conducted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state CID, should be expanded to include the murder as part of organised crime and conspiracy.

BJP MLA Suresh Dhas and Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar have questioned the exclusion of Karad from MCOCA, with Wadettiwar demanding an explanation for the delay in charging the accused under MCOCA. “The accused should have been booked under MCOCA on the first day,” he said.

Dhas went one step further. He alleged the NCP minister Dhananjay Munde had himself called a meeting to discuss the extortion bid against the local energy firm at his official residence in Mumbai

But, he pointed out, the minister has not been made an accused in the case. “The meeting took place on October 19 at ‘Satpura’ bungalow. How come the minister has not been named as an accused? Police officers, can you please explain to me how?” Dhas charged.

Activist Sulakshana Salgar said, “While Karad surrendered at the CID office, the police did not arrest him, exposing the failure of the home department. Justice has not been served to the Deshmukh family.”

NCP working president Supriya Sule said, “Karad has been arrested for extortion but not in the Deshmukh murder case. MCOCA was invoked against eight accused and not Karad. This, despite several elected representatives from different parties such as Suresh Dhas (BJP), Sandeep Kshirsagar (NCP-SP), Prakash Solankhe (NCP), Bajrang Sonawane (NCP-SP) and social activist Anjali Damania demanding that Karad be charged under Section 302 of the BNS.”

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis reiterated that no one would be spared. “We can see the divide among communities. Protests are also going on. Considering all this, the government is trying to restore peace and end the divide. Police will take appropriate action and no one will be spared. I repeat, no one,” he said.

In a related development, NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar spoke to Fadnavis over the phone, about the Beed murder case. “Pawar also pointed to the divide among communities in Beed and surrounding areas over the murder and urged Fadnavis to intervene to bring the situation under control,” an insider said. The chief minister is believed to have said that the matter will be taken up on a “priority basis”.

Meanwhile, another large protest was held in Dharashiv, where elected representatives along with members of the Deshmukh family participated. Leaders who attended the protest also demanded that MCOCA be invoked against Karad.

(Inputs by Faisal Malik)