Mumbai, March 4: NCP legislator Dhananjay Munde on Tuesday said he has resigned from the Maharashtra cabinet due to his ill-health and went by his conscience. He also demanded strict punishment to those involved in the Beed Sarpanch murder and case.

In his post on X, Munde wrote in Marathi (loosely translated as), “It has been my firm demand since day one that the accused in the brutal murder of the late Santosh Deshmukh of Massajog in Beed district should be given the strictest punishment. Seeing the photos that surfaced yesterday, I was deeply saddened. The investigation into this matter has been completed, and the charge sheet has been filed in the court. Also, a judicial inquiry is proposed. Going by my conscience and also considering my health, which has not been good for the past few days, the doctor has advised me to undergo treatment for the next few days, therefore, also for medical reasons, I have submitted my resignation from the cabinet to the Chief Minister.”

Munde decided to step down following CM’s directive and also after a two-hour long meeting that took place on Monday night at the official residence of Deputy CM and NCP President Ajit Pawar, working president Praful Patel, state chief Sunil Tatkare in the presence of the Chief Minister.

NCP insiders said that CM Fadnavis asked Munde to resign to avoid further criticism from various quarters, especially, after the photos and videos of brutal killing of Massajog Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh went viral. CM Fadnavis has already accepted Munde’s resignation and forwarded it to the Governor for further action.

Opposition has slammed the state government and Munde for resigning 82 days after the murder of Santosh Deshmukh.

Shiv Sena legislator Aditya Thackeray demanded that the BJP-led Mahayuti government should be dismissed for its apathy towards the killing of Santosh Deshmukh. “Yesterday, the photos came to light, didn’t they reach the Chief Minister? Last night, the Chief Minister went to the Deputy Chief Minister’s bungalow in a car and a meeting was held there. But can’t the Chief Minister himself call them? Doesn’t the Chief Minister know first?” he asked.

NCP-SP legislator Jitendra Awhad asked, “If you knew and the government had the photos, why did you wait for so long? Who were you waiting for? Why did you take a stand late regarding the resignation? Was there pressure?”

NCP-SP MP from Beed constituency Bajarang Sonawane, who was at the forefront demanding Munde’s resignation, said he should have taken this decision much earlier. “It was painful to watch the photos of the killing of Santosh Deshmukh. Munde should not have waited for a long time to submit his resignation,” he remarked.

Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske in his post on X said, “Walmik Karad, a mastermind in the sarpanch murder should be hanged to death.”

The social activist, Anjali Damania, who has been quite vocal in demanding Munde’s resignation and making series of posts linked to the sarpanch killing, said, “Today, the state government has done a great favor to the people. In fact, the government should have been thrown away. The entire state knew about the photos that surfaced yesterday, what was in them. But it took three months? Everyone knew about Walmik Karad’s (Munde’s close associate under arrest) criminal background.”

Mumbai, March 4: Amid raging controversy over the brutal killing of Massajog Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh from Beed district, Minister of Food and Civil Supplies and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde on Tuesday resigned following a directive from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Munde’s personal assistant visited CM Fadnavis’ ‘Sagar’ bungalow and submitted the Minister’s resignation letter to the Chief Minister’s Office.

Munde, who is diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy (partial paralysis), did not come in person as he preferred to stay at the official bungalow.

The opposition staged a protest at the entrance of Vidhan Bhavan, demanding the resignation of Munde and Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate, who was convicted by the Nashik court in a fake documents case.

Although Munde was reluctant to tender his resignation, it was CM Fadnavis who prevailed over him and asked him to step down, especially when the chorus was increasing from ruling and opposition parties and various social organisations.

Munde’s resignation comes a day after the photos and videos of Deshmukh’s murder went viral on TV channels.

He was asked to resign days after the 1800-page charge sheet filed by the state CID had named the Minister’s close associate Walmik Karad as the mastermind in the broad daylight murder of Santosh Deshmukh in December last year. The charge sheet has mentioned all eight accused, including Karad, though one accused Krishna Andhale is still missing.

Karad has already been booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act in connection with the extortion case, which was linked to the murder of Santosh Deshmukh. Munde was under tremendous pressure to submit his resignation, but he and the NCP took the stand that he would resign after the findings of the investigations by CID, special investigation team and judicial committee.

NCP president and Dy CM Ajit Pawar reiterated that the party has condemned the brutal killing of Massajog sarpanch, adding that it will take a call on Munde’s resignation after probe and the court order. Ajit Pawar had reminded Munde that he had himself submitted his resignation on moral grounds in the past after he was targeted over the irrigation scam. Thereafter, the Chief Minister left the decision of Munde’s resignation to Ajit Pawar.

The charge sheet was filed last week, along with matching voice samples of Karad and the company employees. CCTV footage showed the connection of the accused in the murder case with the extortion crime. The police sources said that after a CID investigation with the help of about 180 witnesses, Walmik was named as the mastermind of the crime. Evidence was been presented against eight accused, including Karad. The ‘digital’ evidence in this investigation, conducted under the guidance of Investigation Officer Basavaraj Teli, was examined and prepared by the forensic laboratory.

In the extortion case, Walmik has been accused of being the mastermind behind the crime. It has been mentioned in the charge sheet that he said, “End him as soon as he comes; otherwise, he will be forced to beg.”

Among the accused, Sudarshan Ghule and his accomplices were involved in organized crime. The charge sheet states that he and his accomplices committed 11 crimes in 10 years in Kej, Ambajogai in Beed district and Dharur and Kalamb in Dharashiv district.

According to the charge sheet, on October 8, 2024, Avaada Energy’s Land Acquisition Officer Shivaji Thopte went to meet Walmik Karad at his office in Parli at his request. Vishnu Chate was present at that time. At this time, Karad threatened, ‘If you want to keep the company running, pay Rs 2 crore or else stop all the work of Avada Company in Beed district.’

Further, on November 29, for the same demand, Sudarshan Ghule threatened, ‘Fulfill Walmik Anna’s demand and meet him. Do not start the work till then.’ Avadda Energy’s land acquisition officer Shivaji Thopte was abused and beaten up and threatened to pay Rs 2 crore or else the company would be closed.

Thereafter the company employees called and informed Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh about the incident. Following this, Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh went to the site and requested Sudarshan Ghule and his associates, ‘Don’t close the company. Let people get employment.’

At that time, since Sudarshan Ghule was at the forefront in demanding extortion, the sarpanch threatened Santosh Deshmukh, saying that he would not leave him alive.

On the afternoon of November 29, 2024, Walmik Karad, Vishnu Chate, Sudarshan Ghule, Prateek Ghule, Sudhir Sangle and Krishna Andhale held a meeting at Vishnu Chate’s office in Kej and demanded that Avaada Energy should pay Rs 2 crore. They hatched a conspiracy on the recovery of ransom and also how to deal with Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.

According to the charge sheet, Santosh Deshmukh was abducted and murdered at the Dongaon toll plaza on December 9 last year. Since the charge sheet was filed in the court within 80 days, it will now be difficult for the accused to get bail, said the police sources. The government has recently appointed senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam as special prosecutor in the case.

Mumbai, March 4: An FIR has been registered against Maharashtra Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and MLA Abu Azmi over his remarks defending Mughal ruler Aurangzeb Alamgir, asserting that he was “not a cruel leader.”

His statement has sparked widespread controversy, drawing sharp criticism from political leaders across the spectrum.

The controversy erupted after Azmi made the remarks while addressing reporters in Mumbai at the commencement of the Maharashtra Assembly session.

Responding to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s recent comparison of Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with Aurangzeb, Azmi argued that the Mughal ruler was being misrepresented.

Following his remarks, Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske filed a complaint at Thane’s Wagle Estate Police Station, leading to an FIR being registered against Azmi under sections 299, 302, 356(1), and 356(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Azmi had stated, “Aurangzeb got several temples built. In Varanasi, he saved a Hindu girl child from a priest who had an evil eye on her. He had the priest trampled by elephants.”

Defending his stance, he had further elaborated, “I don’t consider Aurangzeb a cruel ruler. During that era, power struggles were political, not religious. Aurangzeb’s army had many Hindus, just as Chhatrapati Shivaji’s army had several Muslims.”

He also claimed that during Aurangzeb’s reign, India’s territorial boundaries extended up to Afghanistan, adding that the ruler was being unfairly vilified through a religious lens.

The comments have ignited a political storm, with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde leading the charge against Azmi.

Strongly condemning his remarks, Shinde demanded an apology, stating, “He must apologise for this because Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was a patriot and a true nationalist. Aurangzeb was responsible for the brutal 40-day torture and execution of Sambhaji Maharaj. Glorifying Aurangzeb’s rule is a serious offence, and for this, Abu Azmi must apologise. By speaking against a patriot, he has positioned himself as anti-national.”