MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has asked state minister Dhananjay Munde to resign, against the backdrop of his close aide Walmik Karad being named as an accused in sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh murder case, sources said on Tuesday.
The chargesheet, which spans 1,800 pages, details how Deshmukh was killed on Karad’s orders due to his opposition to the accused extorting money from a wind power company.
Photographs included in the chargesheet reveal the gruesome nature of the crime. Deshmukh was tied to a vehicle and dragged for several kilometers before being killed in a brutal manner.
Disturbing footage of the incident, where the accused urinated on the victim and recorded their actions with laughter, went viral on social media, sending shockwaves across Maharashtra.
The sources said Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar met Fadnavis on Monday night to discuss the fallout of the CID's chargesheet filed in the Deshmukh murder case and two related cases in which Karad been named accused number one. It was during this meeting that the decision for Munde’s resignation was made.
"Fadnavis has asked Dhananjay Munde to resign as minister today," a source said.
Opposition parties have condemned the government for allegedly protecting and defending the accused in the case.
Maharashtra Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal stated that while Munde's resignation is a step forward, both Chief Minister Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Pawar should also step down.
"They have lost the moral authority to continue in their positions," Sapkal remarked. He also called for a thorough investigation into Munde's role in the case, suggesting that he should be named in the supplementary chargesheet.
"We demand strong action, as the actions of the ministers have tarnished the image of Maharashtra as a progressive and developed state," he added.
Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed, was abducted, tortured and murdered on December 9 last year allegedly for attempting to stop an extortion bid targeting an energy company in the district.
Three separate cases - murder of sarpanch, bid to extort money from Avaada company and assault on security guard of the firm - have been registered at Kej police station in Beed.
The police have invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against the accused in the cases.
Seven persons have been arrested so far and booked under the MCOCA. One of the accused is still at large.
