Maharashtra Minister Dhananjay Munde resigned from the state cabinet on Tuesday following mounting pressure over the alleged involvement of his close aide, Walmik Karad, in the murder of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. The decision came after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis accepted his resignation and forwarded it to Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan.
Munde’s exit followed relentless opposition demands for his removal after chilling details from the CID chargesheet exposed the brutal abduction, torture, and murder of Deshmukh, who was allegedly targeted for resisting an extortion attempt against an energy company in Beed.
The Crime Investigation Department (CID) submitted a 1,200-page chargesheet in a Beed district court on February 27, detailing the crime. The case has led to the arrest of seven individuals, including Karad, Sudarshan Ghule, Vishnu Chate, Jairam Chate, Mahesh Kedar, Siddhartha Sonawane, Sudhir Sangale, and Prateek Ghule, with another accused, Krishna Andhale, still absconding. Authorities have invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in three related cases, including Deshmukh’s murder, an extortion attempt on Avaada Energy, and an attack on the company’s security guard.
Fadnavis held a late-night meeting with Deputy CM and NCP chief Ajit Pawar, along with senior NCP leaders, before Munde’s resignation was finalized. With political tensions escalating over the gruesome crime, the fallout of Munde’s resignation is expected to have far-reaching political implications in Maharashtra.
