A day after Marathi actress Prajakta Mali objected to her name being dragged into the Santosh Deshmukh murder case in Beed and demanded that BJP legislator Suresh Dhas, who made the remarks against her, tender a public apology, State Women Commission said it has received complaints from her and assured action. Mali also received support from other BJP leaders including cabinet minister Chandrakant Patil and party MLC Chitra Wagh.
Patil said he has spoken to Dhas and asked him not to drag the Marathi actress into the controversy. “Everyone needs to take care while speaking in public. I have asked Dhas not to drag Mali or any other actresses’ names for no reason,” Patil said in Kolhapur.
According to State Women Commission chief Rupali Chakankar, the commission will study the complaint received from Mali, examine the legal aspects and take necessary action as per the rules.
“The Commission office has received the complaint of actress Prajakta Mali. The Commission will study it, examine the legal aspects and take necessary action as per the rules. Everyone should be aware when talking about women on social media because due to the rights granted by the Constitution, women are working on their own in all sectors and while working, the Commission will take the initiative to take strict action by the government against the defamatory statements made in the media about them without any evidence and trolling them in a very dirty manner by all elements on social media without any verification,” Chakankar said in a post on X.
Deshmukh, the sarpanch of a village, was abducted and brutally murdered earlier this month for raising his voice against an extortion racket in Beed. Dhas, speaking about NCP minister Dhananjay Munde and his close aide Walmik Karad, who is accused of being the mastermind in the murder, had said that the duo also had a ‘Parli pattern’ of inviting female actors for events. Referring to Mali by name, Dhas remarked that she was familiar with Parli (Munde’s hometown and constituency). His remarks went viral on Friday.
{{/usCountry}}Deshmukh, the sarpanch of a village, was abducted and brutally murdered earlier this month for raising his voice against an extortion racket in Beed. Dhas, speaking about NCP minister Dhananjay Munde and his close aide Walmik Karad, who is accused of being the mastermind in the murder, had said that the duo also had a ‘Parli pattern’ of inviting female actors for events. Referring to Mali by name, Dhas remarked that she was familiar with Parli (Munde’s hometown and constituency). His remarks went viral on Friday.
{{/usCountry}}Reacting to Dhas’ remarks, Wagh said, “Respect for women has always been the top priority of the BJP. No one has the right to slander anyone in this manner. We all must work together to create a better society. I assure Prajakta that she is not alone in this battle.”
On Saturday while addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Mali said that Dhas had made the snide remarks to defame her and she was well aware of what he meant. She said she had already lodged a complaint with the state women’s commission and sought action against Dhas. She also requested chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to take action in the case.