A horrific incident took place last year in Maharashtra’s Beed district where the local sarpanch (village head) Santosh Deshmukh was brutally tortured and murdered, which has forced Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Dhananjay Munde to resign as minister on Tuesday (Mar 4).

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The assailants captured 15 videos, eight photos, and made two video calls, documenting Deshmukh’s abduction, torture, and killing. The videos and images of the incident went viral on social media, sparking uproar from the public. Following this, Munde tendered his resignation after his close aide, Walmik Karad, was arrested in the case for allegedly masterminding the murder.

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Details of murder

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According to the charge sheet, Santosh Deshmukh was kidnapped on December 9 for allegedly trying to foil an attempt for extortion from an energy company.

As per police, he was beaten with a gas pipe, an iron rod, wooden sticks, and sharp weapons for more than two hours. In one of the videos, he is seen half naked being forced to sit. In another video, one of the accused urinates on him as he bled heavily, said the chargesheet.

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Accused Krishna Andhale, who made two video calls of the ordeal, is on the run. The chargesheet does not identify the person he called. Police have recovered 15 broken pieces of the pipe used to thrash Deshmukh. 

One of the accused, Sudarshan Ghule, ran a crime syndicate in Beed, which has 11 cases against it. The gang has been active in Ambajogai, Kej, Dharur in Beed, and Kalamb in the Dharashiv district.

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Minister forced to resign

Munde’s aide, Karad, looked after his election campaign and is among the seven perpetrators involved in the case. Reportedly, Munde was unwilling to resign immediately and wanted to explain himself in the state assembly, but Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputy Ajit Pawar denied the request after the chargesheet describing the brutality was brought forward and the incident went viral.

(With inputs from agencies)