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Aide’s arrest in murder case forces Dhananjay Munde to quit as minister
Dhananjay Munde cited health reasons among the causes for his resignation even as people aware of the matter said he was asked him to resign as the visuals of murder went viral
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Dhananjay Munde resigned as Maharashtra minister on Tuesday amid mounting pressure on him to quit following the arrest of his aide in the murder of a village head tortured to death in Beed in December.
Munde cited health reasons among the causes for his resignation even as people aware of the matter said the top leadership of Maharashtra’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led ruling coalition asked him to resign as the pictures and videos of Santosh Deshmukh’s torture before his murder went viral and sparked fresh outrage.
In a post on X, Munde maintained he had been demanding the strictest punishment for the accused. He cited visuals of Deshmukh’s torture and said he was deeply saddened. “The investigation into this matter has been completed and the charge sheet filed. Also, a judicial inquiry is proposed,” he said. Munde maintained he had been unwell and was advised of treatment. “...therefore, also for medical reasons, I have submitted my resignation...”
People aware of the matter said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis asked Munde to resign after a meeting with his deputy and NCP chief Ajit Pawar on Monday night. The pressure mounted on the government for Munde’s removal after a charge sheet filed in the murder last week established the alleged involvement of the minister’s aide Walmiki Karad.
People cited above said Fadnavis told Pawar that Munde, 49, a two-term lawmaker from Parli in Beed, had to resign. Munde is believed to have been unwilling to resign and requested Pawar to give him time. Pawar expressed his helplessness leaving Mude with no option but to resign.
NCP functionaries said Munde wanted to explain his side of the story in the state assembly before resigning. But Fadnavis and Pawar turned down his request. “Fadnavis was insistent on Munde’s resignation since the arrest of Karad...Pawar and Munde were unwilling and kept convincing him for some more time. When the charge sheet brought the brutality of the murder to the fore, Fadnavis put his foot down and asked for the resignation,” said a BJP leader, who did not want to be named.
Fadnavis and Pawar supported Munde before the charge sheet forced the chief minister to act as the case was hurting the government’s image.
Karad, who looked after Munde’s election campaign, is among the seven accused arrested. Munde’s cousin and BJP leader Pankaja Munde had said Dhananjay Munde cannot function without Karad.
Deshmukh’s alleged killers recorded 15 videos, clicked eight photos, and made two video calls as they abducted, tortured, killed, and dumped his body on a roadside in December. The charge sheet said Deshmukh was abducted for attempting to foil an extortion bid.
In one of the videos that went viral on social media, five accused are purportedly seen thrashing Deshmukh with a pipe and a stick besides kicking and punching him. The video shows Deshmukh half-clad as he is being forced to sit.
In another video, Deshmukh is purportedly seen forced to chant “Sudarshan Ghule [one of the accused] is the father of all”. An accused urinated on Deshmukh as he bled profusely, said the charge sheet
As Deshmukh was tortured, accused Krishna Andhale, who remains on the run, made two WhatsApp video calls. The charge sheet does not identify the person to whom the calls were made.
Police have recovered 15 broken pieces of the pipe used to torture Deshmukh, the charge sheet said. Investigators found the accused Ghule ran a crime syndicate in Beed. His gang faces 11 cases. The gang has been active in Kej, Ambajogai, Dharur in Beed, and Kalamb in the Dharashiv district.
The videos and photos Deshmukh’s assailants recorded are part of the charge sheet, a copy of which HT has seen. They fuelled outrage and prompted a bandh call in Beed on Tuesday.
Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar lawmaker Sandeep Kshirsagar said the situation became tense after the visuals went viral on social media. “The people started coming out on the streets. It is good Munde has resigned.” He added the people of Beed were angry and observed the bandh demanding justice. “I appeal to everyone not to take the law into their own hands.”
Kshirsagar said the photos and videos related to the killing show the inhumane side of the accused. “The bandh call reflects what people feel about the brutality of Deshmukh’s murder.”
Beed Police superintendent Navneet Kanwat issued a statement saying the visuals were part of the judicial process. He requested people against taking the law into their own hands.
Additional district magistrate Shivkumar Swamy issued prohibitory orders as a precautionary measure until March 17 under the Maharashtra Police Act’s section 37 (1) (3). The section restricts public gatherings and protests without prior permission.
Businesses were shuttered and the roads were deserted. Maratha quota leader Manoj Jarange indicated that he would visit Deshmukh’s family on Tuesday.
Beed has been edgy as caste fault lines have sharpened over the murder amid the row over quotas for Marathas in educational institutes and jobs under the Other Backward Class category. Maratha outfits took out a motorbike rally demanding action against the accused even as an incident of arson was reported from Beed City.
