- विज्ञापन -
Beed (Maharashtra): Vishnu Chate, a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) activist and ally of the ruling Mahayuti coalition, has been arrested by Beed Police in connection with the December 9 murder of Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in Kej village, Massejeog taluka. Chate, who had been on the run for nearly 10 days, was apprehended as he tried to flee the district on the Beed-Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar highway. His arrest brings the total number of those arrested in the case to four, with three additional suspects still at large. Police have formed several teams to track down the remaining fugitives.
Chate, previously involved in an extortion case in which he allegedly extorted Rs 2 crore from a windmill company, is now accused of masterminding Deshmukh’s murder. Investigations suggest a link between the extortion case and the Sarpanch’s killing. Deshmukh was reportedly targeted for thwarting an extortion attempt on the windmill company, and was abducted, tortured, and murdered in broad daylight near the company’s office.
The murder has sparked political controversy, as Deshmukh, a Maratha, was killed by Chate, an OBC (Vanjari) community member, amid ongoing tensions over the reservation agitation. The incident has led to protests and walkouts by Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies, including Congress, NCP, and Shiv Sena (UBT), who have criticized the Mahayuti government’s handling of law and order. In response, the state government has transferred the investigation to a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
Opposition leaders, including SS (UBT) Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve and Congress leaders such as Nana F. Patole, have condemned the state government, accusing it of a failure in maintaining law and order, especially in Beed and Parbhani. They also blamed NCP Minister Dhananjay Munde’s close associates, Chate and Walmiki, for their roles in the extortion case and the murder.
