Santosh Deshmukh murder: NCP leader Dhananjay Munde resigned as Maharashtra Minister after his close aide Walmik Karad was named as an accused in the Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh murder case, said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday. Fadnavis has accepted the resignation and sent it to the Governor.
Addressing media, CM Fadnavis said, "Maharashtra Minister Dhananjay Munde has tendered his resignation today. I have accepted the resignation and sent it to the Governor for further course of action."
Munde, the state food and civil supplies minister, is the NCP MLA from Parli in the Beed district. He was earlier the guardian minister of Beed. Currently, NCP head Ajit Pawar is the guardian minister of Beed district along with Pune.
Sources said that Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar met Fadnavis on Monday night to discuss the repercussions of the CID's chargesheet in the Deshmukh murder case, along with two related cases where Karad has been named the prime accused. "Fadnavis has asked Dhananjay Munde to resign as minister today," a source said.
Dhananjay Munde first reaction
After tendering his resignation as a Maharashtra Minister, Munde in an X post said, "My firm demand from the very first day has been that the accused in the brutal murder of Santosh Deshmukh from Massajog in Beed district should receive the harshest possible punishment. Seeing the photos that came up yesterday has deeply pained my heart. The investigation of this case has been completed, and the chargesheet has been filed in the court. Additionally, a judicial inquiry has also been proposed. Recalling my sense of discernment and considering that my health has not been well for the past few days, the doctors have advised me to undergo treatment for the next few days. Therefore, for medical reasons as well, I have submitted my resignation from my ministerial position in the cabinet to the Chief Minister."
Opposition demanded Munde's resignation
Munde stepped down following opposition pressure over the murder of the Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, said sources. The opposition has demanded Munde's resignation due to the arrest of his close aide, Walmik Karad, in an extortion case linked to the murder.
The opposition had declared that if Dhananjay Munde did not resign today, they would obstruct the functioning of the House.
Beed sarpanch murder case
Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed, was abducted, tortured, and murdered on December 9 last year, allegedly for trying to prevent an extortion attempt targeting an energy company in the district.
On February 27, the state Crime Investigation Department (CID) submitted a chargesheet exceeding 1,200 pages in a Beed district court, covering Deshmukh's murder and two related cases.
Three separate cases — the sarpanch's murder, the extortion attempt on Avaada company, and the assault on the company's security guard — have been registered at Kej police station in Beed. The accused have been charged under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
So far, seven people have been arrested and booked under MCOCA, while one accused remains absconding.
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