OBC activist criticises Jarange Patil, BJP MLA Dhas over Beed sarpanch murder case 

OBC activist Laxman Hake on Wednesday (January 8, 2024) lambasted Maratha quota campaigner Manoj Jarange-Patil and BJP MLA Suresh Dhas for allegedly downplaying the seriousness of the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district of Maharashtra. Deshmukh was allegedly abducted and tortured to death on December 9, 2024, for opposing extortion attempts against an energy firm linked to a windmill project. Seven suspects have been arrested so far.

The incident has acquired a caste-related undertone as Deshmukh hailed from the Maratha community, while most of the accused belong to the Vanjari community, a dominant OBC group in Beed.

The case has intensified political tensions with leaders from both ruling and Opposition parties, including Mr. Dhas, calling for the resignation of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and State Minister Dhananjay Munde, a Vanjari leader. The leaders allege that Mr. Munde’s aide, Valmik Karad, is involved in the case.

Speaking at a condolence meeting in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (previously Aurangabad) district, Mr. Hake accused Mr. Jarange and Mr. Dhas of politicising the incident. “Manoj Jarange-Patil and Suresh Dhas have demeaned the seriousness of Santosh Deshmukh’s murder. Where was Mr. Dhas when police personnel were assaulted in Antarwali Sarati during Jarange-Patil’s quota agitation?” he said.

Mr. Hake went on to claim that Mr. Dhas’s stance had shifted after the Maharashtra Assembly elections. “Mr. Dhas worked against Mr. Munde’s success, but is now striving to block his appointment as Beed’s Guardian Minister,” he alleged.

Condemning the growing caste-based rhetoric around the case, Mr. Hake stated, “We have never indulged in politics over such incidents or extended support based solely on caste. Yet now, venom is being spread against a particular community.”

He added that while Mr. Karad had been seen with numerous NCP leaders, the focus was unjustly centred on targeting Mr. Munde. Mr. Hake called for justice for the victim, but warned that the situation was instilling fear among OBC community members.

Turning his attention to Mr. Jarange-Patil, Mr. Hake dismissed him as an “accidental leader” with little understanding of the reservation issue. “In the past, Muslims and Dalits were targeted. Now, the OBC community is under attack,” he alleged.

The OBC activist also criticised NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar for not visiting the family of Somnath Suryavanshi, who died in judicial custody in Parbhani district. Suryavanshi had been arrested following unrest over the desecration of a glass-encased replica of the Constitution last month.