Tortured, Murdered, And Urinated On: Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh Murder And Munde's Exit
Mumbai, Maharashtra: The murder of a famous Sarpanch of Beed’s Massajog village resulted in an unexpected political turmoil in the State. As the chilling details of the murder, along with photographic proof, circulated on social media, NCP leader Dhananjay Munde was left with no other option but to resign from his position as cabinet minister. His resignation came days after his close aide, Walmik Karad, was named as the mastermind in the Beed Sarpanch murder case.
Santosh Deshmukh, a popular figure in Massajog village, is known for his friendliness and for being easily accessible to everyone. Santosh became active in politics in 2013. In 2017, his wife Ashwini won the Sarpanch election. In 2022, Santosh followed suit, winning the sarpanch election with a large majority. Under the couple’s leadership, Massajog won 19 awards in 7 years, including recognition for having the best water supply and sanitation systems in Marathwada.
Also Read | Calling Someone ‘Pakistani’, ‘Miyan-Tiyan’ Not Offence: Supreme Court
Avaada is a Mumbai-based green energy company that has been working on a project in Beed’s Massajog village. Beed and its adjoining districts have seen an economic boost over the past few years due to the wind energy sector. However, local criminals have sensed an opportunity in this boost, leading to extortion bids and kidnappings. Last year, in May, six months before the murder, Sudarshan Ghule, who runs a crime syndicate in Beed, kidnapped Sunil Shinde, a project officer with Avaada. Later, another accused in the murder case, Vishnu Chate, called Avaada officials on the behest of Mr. Munde’s aide and local political strongman Walmik Karad, demanding Rs 2 crore. The officials were threatened, and the company was told it would be forced to wind up its operations.
Thus, the village Sarpanch, who feared that these continuous extortions would impact the livelihoods of the people, decided to take a stand. On December 6, three days before the murder, Ghule and others beat up some Avaada employees at its local office. Santosh Deshmukh and others reached the spot and tried to stop this.
As the accused believed that Santosh was standing in the way of their extortion plans, they decided to eliminate him. After threatening him several times, when he did not fall in line, they abducted him.
The chargesheet filed by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) in Beed district court last week revealed that the assailants recorded 15 videos, took eight photos, and made two video calls while brutally torturing and killing Santosh in December. The visuals documented during the crime were included as evidence in the chargesheet.
According to the police, the Sarpanch was abducted by six men in an SUV from the Dongaon toll plaza. Later that evening, he was found unconscious at Daithan Vihar, near Nandur Ghat Road. Although he was immediately rushed to the hospital, the Sarpanch was declared dead. As per the chargesheet, Deshmukh endured extreme brutality and torture before his final breath. The killers used a 41-inch long gas pipe, an iron rod with five clutch wires, wooden sticks, and sharp weapons to torment him.
Also Read | AIIMS Faces Corruption Allegations Amid Rs 1.19 Crore Loss Over Inflated Glove Purchase: Report
The video shows Deshmukh in a half-naked condition. Another video shows one of the accused urinating on him as he bleeds heavily, the chargesheet says.
Walmik Karad, a prime suspect in the case is said to be a close aid of NCP leader and then minister Dhananjay Munde. After finding Karad’s role in shocking murder, the Opposition demanded an immediate action which led to the resignation of the Munde.
