Beed police have arrested former NCP taluka president Vishnu Chate in connection with the murder of Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh from Massageog village. Chate was apprehended near Laxmi Chowk, Beed, while traveling from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. His arrest raises the total number of detained suspects to four, with three others still on the run. Chate is accused of orchestrating Deshmukh’s murder and was previously booked for extorting a windmill company. Following Deshmukh’s killing, police registered a murder case against Chate and six others. An extortion complaint from the windmill company also implicated senior NCP leader and state minister Dhananjay Munde’s close aide Valmik Karad, Chate, and another individual.
Investigations revealed a connection between the extortion and murder cases. Deshmukh was brutally killed on Monday afternoon after a confrontation outside the windmill company’s office. The accused allegedly kidnapped and killed him in retaliation. Among the absconding suspects is Sudarshan Ghule, a close associate of Valmik Karad. Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh of Massajog village in Kej tehsil, was kidnapped and murdered on December 9. Deshmukh was allegedly killed for thwarting an attempt to extort ₹2 crore from a windmill company.
The murder has been politicised as the sarpanch hailed from the Maratha community while Chate, whose NCP is a part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, belongs to the Vanjari community, an OBC community opposing the inclusion of Marathas in the OBC category.The case is being investigated by the Crime Investigation Department and a Special Investigation Team too has been announced by the state government. Police have arrested three persons, while four accused are at large.
Speaking outside Vidhan Bhavan on Tuesday, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve, who is also leader of the opposition in the legislative council, said, “Law and order in Parbhani and Beed have taken a toss. Walmik Karad, a close aide of Dhananjay Munde, is responsible for the killing. Karad is also facing charges for extorting ₹2 crore. The people are under threat and fear. To instill a sense of law and order in Beed, some responsible minister from the government should take responsibility of the district by becoming its guardian minister,” Danve said.