Supporter of extortion case accused immolates self in Parli town; hospitalised

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jan 14 (PTI) A supporter of Walmik Karad, a key accused in an extortion case linked to the murder of a village sarpanch in Maharashtra's Beed district, set himself ablaze in Parli town on Tuesday evening to protest his arrest, a police official said.

Police promptly intervened, doused his flames and sent him to a local health facility for treatment, the official said.

The protester was identified by the police as Datta Jadhav.

"We have sent him for treatment and he is fine now," the official said.

Videos of Jadhav's legs caught in flames went viral on social media after the incident at around 7 pm.

Earlier in the day, Karad, a close associate of Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde, was charged under the stringent law MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) and remanded to 14 days of judicial custody by a court in Kej town of Beed district in the Rs 2 crore extortion case.

Supporters of Karad vented their anger over the invocation of MCOCA against him by throwing stones at buses, setting tyres on fire and attempting to block roads in Parli town. The protests took place even though prohibitory orders had been in place in Beed district till January 28.

Karad's mother staged a sit-in protest outside a police station demanding her son's release, while his wife accused IPS officer Basavaraj Teli, heading the SIT in the sarpanch murder case, of bias, citing his "connections" with ruling BJP MLA Suresh Dhas, who has joined opposition in demanding the resignation of Munde from the cabinet.

Santosh Deshmukh, sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was abducted, tortured and murdered on December 9, apparently because he tried to thwart an attempt to extort money from an energy firm operating a windmill project in the central Maharashtra district.

Meanwhile, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange praised the Maharashtra government for invoking the MCOCA against Karad.

Speaking to the media at Antarwali Sarti village in adjoining Jalna district, he lauded Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio, for slapping the tough anti-organised crime law on Karad, making it difficult for the accused to obtain bail anytime soon.

Jarange said such "anti-social elements" should be dealt with strongly by the administration.

The activist, who is set to launch a fresh round of agitation in support of reservation in jobs and education for the Maratha community next week, accused NCP minister Munde of supporting "goons".

"This is the gang of Munde, which tarnishes the image of their community and the government, including Chief Minister Fadnavis," emphasised Jarange, once a fierce critic of the CM.

The activist demanded that the government take measures to curb what he called the influence of criminal elements in Beed district, the home turf of the NCP minister.

The police have arrested seven individuals in connection with the murder of sarpanch Deshmukh, while one accused remains at large. PTI AW RSY