Mumbai: Amid the ongoing Beed Sarpanch murder case, Maharashtra Minister Dhananjay Munde tendered his resignation on Tuesday, March4, a media report said. The resignation comes in connection with Munde’s close aide Walmik Karad being named as an accused in the case.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis held a late-night meeting with Deputy CM and NCP chief Ajit Pawar on Monday, along with senior NCP leaders, including Munde, to discuss the issue. The Opposition demanded Munde’s resignation after photos and court chargesheet details related to the killing of Massajog village Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh surfaced, revealing the brutalities committed before the murder.
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Tuesday 04 March 2025
The decision by Maharashtra CM came late on Monday night after gruesome images of Deshmukh’s killing went viral on social media, triggering public outrage, according to a media report.
A high-level meeting was held at Devgiri Bungalow, the official residence of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, where Fadnavis, Pawar, Sunil Tatkare and Munde discussed the escalating political crisis. According to the report, Fadnavis conveyed to Munde that he should step down from his ministerial post.
Minister’s close aide accused in the murder
The controversy stems from the involvement of Walmik Karad, a close associate of Dhananjay Munde, in Deshmukh’s murder. Karad has been managing Munde’s election campaigns and handling district affairs in his absence for several years. As his name surfaced in the murder case, opposition leaders and the public demanded Munde’s resignation.
While Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar initially defended Munde, stating he had no direct role in the crime, pressure continued to mount. Fadnavis had earlier taken a neutral stance, saying Munde’s party should decide on the matter. However, the circulation of disturbing images showing Deshmukh’s murder led to urgent action.
Disturbing images reveal gruesome details
The leaked visuals of the murder have sent shockwaves across Maharashtra, intensifying demands for justice. The images and videos, retrieved from the mobile phone of accused Mahesh Kedar, depict a horrifying sequence where Deshmukh was stripped, brutally beaten to death and the assailants celebrated the act.
According to the report, police have seized around 15 videos and 8 photos from Kedar’s phone. The footage also shows other accused, including Sudarshan Ghule, actively participating in the attack.
The State-CID has filed 1,200 pages in the Santosh Deshmukh murder case and two related cases in a court in Beed district. Munde met Chief Minister Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio, on Monday. Later, he met Deputy Chief Minister and NCP President Ajit Pawar and state NCP President Sunil Tatkare.
As per a report attached in the chargesheet filed in the Santosh Deshmukh murder case, Karad had allegedly asked the other accused to get rid of whoever came in the way of his bid to extort money from a wind energy company, police have said.
