The murder of Sarpanch Santosh Pandit Deshmukh, which took place on December 9, has taken a new turn with the surrender of Walmik Karad, a key suspect in the case.
Karad, who had been on the run for nearly three weeks after the brutal killing of Deshmukh, turned himself in at the Pune office of the State Crime Investigation Department (CID) on Tuesday.
His surrender came after a video statement was posted, in which he expressed his willingness to cooperate with the authorities.
Karad, a close associate of Maharashtra Food & Civil Supplies Minister Dhananjay P. Munde, was accompanied by a large media contingent when he arrived in a car, reportedly owned by an activist of the ruling MahaYuti ally, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
With folded hands, Karad made his way to the CID office, where he was quickly surrounded by the media before being taken inside by CID officials.
After several hours of questioning, Karad was transported to Beed’s Kej village police station for further investigation. It is anticipated that he will be produced before a local magistrate for a remand hearing.
The gruesome murder of Deshmukh involved his abduction, brutal torture, and killing in broad daylight. Karad’s name had been linked to the case shortly after the incident, and soon after, the name of Dhananjay P. Munde, with whom Karad shares close ties, also emerged in connection with the murder.
This led to a massive political uproar, with calls for swift action against Karad, who had been absconding for weeks.
In the wake of the incident, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis appointed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the case. On Tuesday, after Karad's surrender, Fadnavis personally reached out to the Deshmukh family, assuring them that justice would be served.
Despite the intervention of the SIT, Karad’s surrender sparked sharp criticism from opposition parties, particularly those from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, which includes Congress, the NCP, and Shiv Sena (UBT).
Opposition leaders, including Supriya Sule of the NCP and Atul Londhe of the Congress, questioned why it took so long for the police and CID to catch Karad, especially since he had been hiding in Pune for several days.
They also accused the ruling BJP government of hampering the investigation due to alleged political interference. Similarly, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Kishore Tiwari labelled Karad’s surrender as a “drama,” urging for greater transparency in the investigation.
The opposition has called for a court-monitored probe into the case, further escalating the political tensions.
Although Karad has not been directly named in the Sarpanch murder case, he has been previously implicated in a separate extortion case involving a Rs 2-crore demand from a windmill company in Beed, as well as an assault on a security guard.
His name surfaced soon after Deshmukh’s killing, and he was subsequently declared a ‘wanted’ criminal by the Maharashtra Police. His phone records indicated that he was moving between Pune and Ujjain, adding to the complexity of the case.
In response to mounting pressure, Chief Minister Fadnavis assured that no one involved in the murder would be spared, stating that the “Goonda raj” would not be tolerated in the state.
He emphasised that the law would take its course and promised that those responsible for the Sarpanch’s death would face the consequences of their actions.
Karad's background paints a picture of a man deeply entrenched in local politics. Hailing from a poor family in Pangri village, Parli tehsil, Karad initially came into contact with influential BJP figures such as Gopinath P. Munde and his brother Panditrao P. Munde.
Over the years, Karad's political influence grew, particularly in the region of Parli, where he became a prominent figure in the BJP's youth wing, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM).
His political career saw a significant rise when he was elected as a corporator for the Parli Municipal Council and later served as Deputy Mayor. However, his political rise has been marred by multiple criminal cases, ranging from extortion to assault.
Despite the criminal charges against him, Karad has denied the extortion allegations and claimed that he is being framed. In his video statement, he expressed his readiness to cooperate with the investigation and accept any punishment that may be imposed upon him.
His statement, however, has done little to quell suspicions surrounding his role in the murder and the larger conspiracy behind the killing of Sarpanch Deshmukh.
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