In the Beed sarpanch murder row, the police have booked the Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange for allegedly making defamatory remarks against Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde. A First Information Report (FIR) against Jarange was registered on Sunday, over the remarks and on charges of creating a divide in the societ. Tukaram Aghav lodged a complaint against Jarange.
What did Jarange say
The controversy erupted on Saturday when Jarange targeted NCP minister Munde over the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district. During a rally in Parbhani, the activist had said the Maratha community wouldn’t allow Munde to roam on the streets if Dehmukh’s family was harmed.
Munde's supporters got upset by these remarks and demanded a case against Jarange. They had also protested against the activist outside the Shivajinagar police station in Beed.
BJP MLA attacks Dhananjay Munde
BJP MLA Suresh Dhas on Sunday alleged that a meeting to discuss an extortion deal in Beed was held between Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde's associate Walmik Karad and officials of a firm at Munde's residence in June last year.
Dhas was addressing Morcha where he alleged, "A meeting was held on June 14 between Walmik Karad and officials of a renewable energy company at Dhananjay Munde's residence in Parli (in Beed district).
Simultaneously, Munde's PA spoke with some senior officials of the company. Meetings also took place at the official residence of Munde in Mumbai. A deal of Rs 3 crore was finalised in the meeting."
Karad was arrested last week after he surrendered before the state Crime Investigation Department (CID) in Pune in the extortion case linked to the murder of sarpanch Deshmukh.
Sarpanch murder case
Sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, Santosh Deshmukh, was abducted, tortured and murdered on December 9, apparently because he tried to thwart an attempt to extort money from an energy firm operating a windmill project.
The murder has acquired a caste conflict angle as Deshmukh was a Maratha, while most of the accused are Vanjari, a dominant community in the Beed region.
(With PTI inputs)
