Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis has directed Minister Dhananjay Munde to step down, accourding to ABP News. Munde is expected to resign on Tuesday.
Demand for NCP leader’s resignation erupted after Massajog village murder case though he was not directly to it. Seven men, including Walmik Karad, who is a close aide of Munde, have been arrested so far, while one person has been declared wanted accused.
Ramdas Athawale, whose Republican Party of India is an NDA ally, stated that the key accused in the Massajog case, Valmik Karad, is considered close to Munde, and the state CID has already informed of Karad’s involvement in the Santosh Deshmukh murder case.
“I think Dhananjay Munde and Valmik Karad had a close relationship. There is no evidence that Munde had any connection (to the crime), but there is a demand that he resign. Ajitdada needs to think about this. The accused in the murder case was close to Munde and, therefore, he should resign on moral grounds,” said Athawale, as reported by TOI.
Massajog murder: How sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh was tortured and killed
As sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh was tortured and killed in December 2024, the assailants recorded 15 videos, clicked eight photos and even made two video calls, police have said in a chargesheet, documenting the brutality endured by the victim.
The videos and the photos are part of the chargesheet submitted by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) before a court in central Maharashtra’s Beed district last week.
Deshmukh, sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was abducted and killed in December for attempting to foil an extortion bid on an energy company. His body, riddled with injuries and bearing signs of extreme brutality, was found dumped on the roadside.
(With inputs from agencies ABP and TOI)
