Extortion, killings and a political slugfest that forced even the chief minister to react – the killing of a beloved sarpanch in Maharashtra’s Beed district has sparked a rage that refuses to die.
In the village of Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh (45) of Masajog in Qaiz tehsil, posters demanding justice for his murder are ubiquitous. Since his assassination on December 9 – allegedly by local strongmen linked to the NCP – his family has seen a steady stream of visitors, from well-wishers to politicians and social activists.
The family living in Barsi Tehsil, about 80 km from Masajog, moved here about 50 years ago and settled in Deshmukh’s uncle’s house.
When The Indian Express visited the village, a pandal had been set up near the local temple, where Deshmukh’s brother Dhananjaya was sitting on the floor welcoming those who came to offer their condolences.
On the table was a garland of Deshmukh’s photo and the inscription in Marathi: “Nyaya Kahedi (Justice should be done).” Another poster in the village read, “Amcha Rajala Nyaya Kahe (Justice to our King).”
“He was known to help anyone who approached him. He did not care what the post of Sarpanch would get him. It is only the development of the village. That’s why he stayed in that position for 15 years,” said 70-year-old local Mihi More.
On December 9, Deshmukh was abducted in broad daylight, thrown into a black Scorpio and beaten for about three hours before he died. His body was dumped on the road near the village. An autopsy indicated that he died of “bleeding and shock from multiple injuries.”
He has elderly parents, wife and two children aged 13 and 17.
So far, four people have been arrested: former Beed Tehsil President of CPN, Bishnu Chate, Jairam Chate, Mahesh Karad and Prateek Ghu. After his arrest, Vishnu Chate was expelled by the Ajit Pawar-led NCP on December 14. Three others are absconding – Sudarshan Ghule, Krishna Andhale and Sudhir Sangle.
The family has alleged the involvement of Valmik Karad, a relative of the main accused Vishnu Chate. Karad is a group leader of Parli Nagar Parishad, president of Ladki Bahin Yojana in Beed and member of Beed District Planning Committee of CPN. Both Karad and Chate were named in an extortion case registered days before the murder.
The victim’s brother Dhananjaya claimed that Deshmukh was killed because he was trying to stop the extortion racket run by the accused. “They wanted to set an example through my brother,” he said. Deshmukh’s elder daughter Vaibhavi, who is studying in class 12, also said that she will participate in the all-party protest to be held in Beed on December 28, demanding immediate action against the culprits.
The case also rocked the winter assembly session, with opposition legislators protesting and demanding the arrest of the accused. A BJP MLA from the district shared details in the assembly of how Deshmukh was allegedly tortured.
As the opposition criticized the Fadnavis government’s “failure to maintain law and order” in Beed, ruling party leaders also pointed the finger at Karad.
Amid demands that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis address the issue, he announced a judicial inquiry and transferred the Superintendent of Police of Beed district. He also said that the investigation of the murder will be done by a special investigation team led by an inspector general level officer.
Fadnavis told the assembly that Karad has been booked for extortion under the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crimes Act and will also be booked for Deshmukh’s murder if his role is found.
issue
According to the police, the investigation so far has shown that Deshmukh was killed in a fight between Deshmukh and the four arrested accused at the site of the windmill energy project being operated by Avada Energy in Masajog village on December 6.
According to the police, on December 6, four persons including accused Sudarshan and Prateek Ghule went to the project site and abused and beat up a security guard and a project manager after they stopped him from entering.
The security guard of Masajog village warned Deshmukh that he was the sarpanch. Deshmukh along with some villagers reached the spot and a brief skirmish broke out between the two groups, his family members, villagers and the police told The Indian Express.
Later that evening, the project manager lodged a complaint with the police, on the basis of which an FIR was registered. It is alleged that Chate, Karad and one other person demanded Rs 2 crore from the company that installed windmills in the district. The accused was arrested and released on bail.
On December 9, according to an FIR lodged by Deshmukh’s cousin Shivraj at the Kaize police station, they were on their way to their village in a vehicle when they were stopped by a black Scorpio near the Dongaon toll plaza at 3:15 pm. According to the FIR, six people got out of the SUV with rods, stones and beer bottles and beat up both of them and forced Deshmukh into the vehicle.
Shivraj said that he informed Deshmukh’s brother Dhananjay over the phone and asked him to go to the police station to file a complaint. Police found Deshmukh’s body in the same area around 6:30 pm.
As soon as I found out about the kidnapping, I went to the police station. The police team started searching but could not find him. Meanwhile, when Shivraj recognized the accused as a supporter of Vishnu Chate, I called directly. He initially said he would look into it and later called me saying my brother will be back in a while,” claimed Dhananjay.
“In two hours we spoke on the phone 36 times but my brother did not return. During this time I kept requesting the police to trace my brother but they took it lightly. They said that they will keep in touch with Chate and inform the police when he returns. After four hours, we got the news that the body of the brother was found. Only then did the police take an official complaint,” alleged Dhananjay.
However, a senior official denied the family’s claim that there was a delay in police action.
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