Supporters of Maharashtra Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dhananjay Munde’s aide Valmik Karad, who allegedly murdered Massajog village sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, called for a shut down (bandh) after Karad was booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
The MCOCA is a state-specific statute enacted by the state in 1999 as a law with “special provisions for prevention and control of criminal activity by organised crime syndicates or gangs”. This law was used against gangster Lawrence Bishnoi recently.
In a related development, a new special investigation team (SIT) has also been formed to investigate the murder of Santosh Deshmukh and police officers who were in contact with Valmik Karad have been excluded from it.
After the shut down call was given, Karad’s supporters protested by burning tires on roads and every place, including the Market Committee Road and Bus Stand Road, were shut down despite Makar Sankranti.
Karad’s mother Parubai Karad and his wife staged a sit-in in front of Parli police station, demanding that Valmik Karad, the main accused in the windmill extortion case, be released, alleging that he is being made a victim of “caste politics”, according to sources, who said that her health deteriorated. She fainted on the road after which some Karad supporters gave her water to drink.
Earlier on Tuesday, a murder case was registered against seven people at the Kej police station in the murder of Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh of Massajog
village in Beed district. A case of extortion was registered against the minister Dhananjay Munde’s close aide Valmik Karad earlier and he was remanded in a 14-day CID custody. Later, Santosh Deshmukh’s family and supporters began an agitation demanding that action must be taken against Karad under MCOCA.
On Tuesday, after Valmik Karad was produced in court, he was remanded in 14-day judicial custody and was also booked under MCOCA. After Karad was booked under MCOCA, his mother and wife began a sit-in protest outside Parli police station, demanding “justice”.
Karad’s supporters also climbed a water tank tower and began a Sholay-style protest. A woman tried to commit self-immolation by pouring kerosene on herself, due to which tension prevailed in Beed district.