CM will ask Munde to quit if evidence points to his link to sarpanch murder: Minister

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will ask NCP minister Dhananjay Munde to step down if any evidence is found linking him to sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh's murder, his cabinet colleague Chandrakant Patil has said.

A comprehensive probe is being conducted into the murder of Deshmukh, BJP leader Patil told reporters in Sangli on Sunday.

Walmik Karad, an associate of minister Munde, has been arrested in an extortion case linked to the sarpanch's killing.

Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was abducted, tortured and killed on December 9 for trying to stop an extortion attempt against an energy firm operating a windmill project there.

Munde, the NCP MLA from Parli in Beed district, is under attack from some of the ruling alliance colleagues and the opposition over his links with Karad.

"The investigation into the murder of Santosh Deshmukh is underway. Each matter is different. As the head of the government, Devendra Fadnavis is fully capable of making decisions. If he believes there is substance in the allegations, he will act immediately and ask Munde to resign," Patil said.

"The Maharashtra government has already seized properties of the accused in sarpanch Deshmukh murder case. Stringent charges have been invoked and the probe is going on," the BJP leader said.

The police machinery is actively investigating the case, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has also been formed for a probe into it, Patil said.

Additionally, a committee headed by a retired judge has been constituted to oversee the inquiry, the minister said.

Steps are being taken, including invocation of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against Walmik Karad and other accused, Patil pointed out.

The process of seizing Karad's assets is also underway, he added.