Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Feb 27: The Maharashtra Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has submitted a comprehensive chargesheet exceeding 1,200 pages in connection with the high-profile murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed. The chargesheet covering two related cases was filed in a Beed district court on Thursday.
Deshmukh was abducted, tortured, and murdered on December 9 last year, allegedly for trying to prevent an extortion attempt targeting an energy company in Beed. His brutal killing has ignited political turmoil in the state, mainly due to the arrest of Walmik Karad, a close aide of NCP minister Dhananjay Munde, in a related extortion case.
The police have arrested seven individuals in connection with the murder, while the primary accused, Krushna Andhale, remains at large. Authorities have invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against the accused.
The case involves three separate investigations: Deshmukh’s murder, an extortion bid against Avaada Energy, and an assault on the company’s security guard. All three cases were registered at the Kej police station in Beed.
The swift filing of the chargesheet has raised questions, with Beed MP and NCP (SP) leader Bajrang Sonawane expressing surprise over the speed of the investigation. “Why are the police in such a hurry to file the chargesheet? I am stunned to see all this,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, Minister Dhananjay Munde is facing political heat, both from the opposition and some allies in the Mahayuti alliance, following the arrest of his close associate in the extortion case linked to Deshmukh’s murder. However, Munde has denied any involvement in the case.
The development is expected to have significant political ramifications as the investigation unfolds.
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