Dhananjay Munde Resigns As Maharashtra Minister Amid Row Over Associate's Role In Sarpanch Murder Case, Cites Health Reasons

On Tuesday (4 March), Dhananjay Munde, a minister from Maharashtra, stepped down from his position following a request from Chief Minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis, The Hindu reported.

This development occurred in the wake of increasing demands for his resignation due to his close associate, Walmik Karad, being implicated in the murder case of Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.

Fadnavis stated that he has acknowledged the resignation and forwarded it to the Governor for subsequent steps. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar stated that Munde resigned due to moral reasons.

Munde subsequently shared on X that he had stepped down for medical reasons as he needs to undergo treatment. In the message, penned in Marathi, he expressed his distress over pictures, showing brutality of the murder, that were distributed the day before.

"My persistent demand from the very first day is that the accused in the brutal murder of Santosh Deshmukh from Beed district should be given the severest punishment. Seeing the photos that came up yesterday, my heart was extremely distressed. The investigation of this case has been completed and the charge sheet has been filed in the court," he said.

Previously, the CM had stated in the House that severe measures would be implemented against those proven guilty. Interestingly, Munde, who maintains close ties with Karad, the alleged orchestrator of the horrific murder, has not been implicated in the case.

The Opposition is insisting on the resignations of both Munde and Manikrao Kokate.

The State Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Munde, is the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA representing Parli in the Beed district. Previously, he served as the Guardian Minister of Beed.

The Case

Deshmukh, who was the village head of Massajog in Beed, was reportedly kidnapped, brutalised, and killed on 9 December of the previous year. This was allegedly because he tried to prevent an extortion attempt aimed at a local energy firm in the district.

On 27 February, the State Crime Investigation Department (CID) submitted a chargesheet exceeding 1,200 pages to a court in Beed district pertaining to Deshmukh's murder and two associated cases.

At the Kej police station in Beed, three distinct cases have been filed: the murder of a sarpanch, an attempt to extort money from the Avaada company, and an attack on the company's security guard. The accused in these cases have been charged under the strict Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

To date, seven individuals have been apprehended and charged under MCOCA. However, one suspect remains elusive.