Sarpanch murder case 'mastermind' currently in Nagpur, govt not arresting him: Sena (UBT) leader

Nagpur, Dec 20 (PTI) Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve on Friday claimed in the legislative council that the "mastermind" behind the murder of a village head in Maharashtra's Beed district was staying at a farmhouse in Nagpur, but the government was not arresting him.

He alleged that Walmik Karad was the mastermind in the case as the abduction and murder of the sarpanch was done on his directions.

Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed, was allegedly abducted and tortured to death on December 9. Police have so far arrested four persons in connection with the case.

According to police, one of the accused, Vishnu Chate, had allegedly demanded Rs 2 crore from an energy company that had installed a windmill in the district and threatened to stop their operations if their demands were not met.

Deshmukh had tried to intervene and stop the extortion due to which he was abducted from his car. He is alleged to have been tortured and killed by the accused following which an FIR was registered against seven persons, including Chate, they said.

Another FIR was registered on the complaint of the energy company, alleging extortion by Chate, Walmik Karad and another person.

Opposition leaders have claimed that Karad is a close associate of NCP minister Dhananjay Munde who hails from Beed district. However, Karad has not been named as an accused in the murder case.

Speaking in the House, Leader of Opposition in the legislative council Ambadas Danve claimed, "Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh was murdered after being kidnapped. All this happened on the directions of Walmik Karad. He is the mastermind in the case. Fingers are being pointed to Walmik Karad, who has been staying at a farmhouse in Nagpur for the last four days. But the situation is such that the police cannot arrest him." He sought to know if the state government was turning a blind eye to the crimes taking place in the state.

"The main accused in the Beed incident is not being arrested," he said, and urged the government to act against the culprits.

The winter session of the Maharashtra legislature is currently underway in Nagpur. PTI CLS NP