Fadnavis orders probe into Beed killing, shunts out top cop

The state government has decided to form a special investigation team and judicial panel to probe the murder of a young sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in Beed district The superintendent of police of the district will also be transferredCM Devendra Fadnavis made an announcement to this effect while making a statement over a debate that was initiated by ruling and Opposition party members who accused an alleged local mafia leader Valmik Karad of being the mastermind behind the gruesome killing Karad has been booked by the police ldquoThe accused will not be spared whoever they are connected with politicallyrdquo said the CM on FridayThe incident came to the fore as an activity that is akin to an organised crime syndicate that extorted money from the investors of a wind energy farm Karad is said to be the kingpin of the gang The murder was raised in the ongoing session of the state legislature The members debated it and demanded action from the state government Karad is said to be a member of a ruling partySarpanch Santosh Deshmukh who was attacked on December 9Fadnavis said the incident needed a deeper investigation ldquoWe will have to end lawlessness in Beed district Avaada Energy has made a huge investment in wind energy farms there The company has generated jobs for the locals Some people have been asking the company to pay protection money if it cannot give them work contracts Some accused reached the Avaada office to demand work and extortion money They beat up a security personnel and senior project manager of the companyrdquo said the chief ministerHe said the sarpanch Deshmukh arrived at the spot after he was called for help ldquoThe supporters of the sarpanch beat up the goons The video of the clash went viralrdquo he said adding that the sarpanch was fatally attacked on December 9 when he was travelling alone The accused ran away after Deshmukh breathed his last said Fadnavis According to CM Deshmukhrsquos brother had called one Vishnu Chate who told him that his brother would be released unharmed Instead Deshmukh was beaten up mercilessly and left deadFadnavis said Karad would be taken to task and punished regardless of his political connections He also assured that he would probe the policersquos role in protecting the accused and delaying action He said it was the statersquos responsibility to maintain law and order and it was evident that the local police force left some loopholes Pinning the responsibility on the district head the CM said the SP would be moved out According to the CM the accused would be booked under the Act that has provisions to check organised crime He also announced financial assistance of R10 lakh for the deceased sarpanchrsquos familyParbhani case investigationFadnavis has ordered a judicial probe into the accusations that an accused had died in judicial custody because of police brutality The dead person Somnath Suryawanshi was among those arrested for violence that had begun following the vandalism in which a replica of the Constitution was brokenAfter the matter was raised in the legislature Fadnavis said the postmortem report had rejected the possibility of custodial death but stated that the deceased had a serious lung ailmentFadnavis said Suryawanshi has himself told the court twice that the police had not carried out thirddegree torture on him ldquoWe have a video footage of Suryawanshirsquos stay in police custody It is an unedited version that doesnt show any police atrocities After being moved to judicial custody the accused complained of uneasiness He was taken to hospital where he was declared deadrdquo