A protest staged by supporters of Walmik Karad outside the Parli police station was called off after 12 hours on Tuesday. The protest was triggered by the filing of a case against Walmik Karad under the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA).
Tensions flared during the protest when one supporter attempted self-immolation, and another suffered a heart attack. The protest was officially called off at 9 p.m. after the situation became more intense.
Manjili Karad, the wife of Walmik Karad, made a public appeal urging the supporters to avoid taking extreme actions. "We want to protest peacefully," she said.
The decision to apply MCOCA followed Karad’s judicial custody being granted in an extortion case by the sessions court in Kej. The police submitted an application to charge Karad under MCOCA in connection with the Deshmukh murder case. The court has issued a production warrant and Karad will be produced before the court on Wednesday.
Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was allegedly abducted, tortured, and murdered on December 9. Investigations suggest Deshmukh tried to prevent an extortion attempt involving an energy company working on a windmill project. Seven suspects have been arrested in the case, and one remains at large.