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Nationalist Congress Party leader Dhananjay Munde, who was facing the heat over the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, on Tuesday said he resigned as the Maharashtra cabinet minister after listening to his conscience and also for medical reasons.
In a post on X, Munde also said he was deeply saddened after seeing photographs related to the gruesome murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district.
Deshmukh was abducted, tortured and murdered on December 9 last year allegedly for attempting to stop an extortion bid targeting an energy company in the district.
In the chargesheet filed by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) in the Deshmukh murder case and two related cases, Munde's close aide Walmik Karad has been named accused number one.
Munde's resignation followed a vociferous demand by the opposition for his removal from the cabinet.
Fadnavis held a late-night meeting with Deputy CM and NCP chief Ajit Pawar on Monday, along with senior NCP leaders, including Munde, to discuss the issue.
The opposition's demand for Munde's resignation intensified after gory photos and court chargesheet details related to the killing of Deshmukh surfaced, revealing the brutalities committed before the murder.
Munde in his post on X said, "It has been my firm demand since day one that the accused in the brutal murder of Santosh Deshmukh should be given the strictest punishment. Seeing the photos that surfaced yesterday, I was deeply saddened."
He said the investigation into this matter has been completed and the chargesheet has been filed in the court.
"Listening to my conscience and considering that my health has not been good for the past few days, doctor has advised me to undergo treatment for the next few days. Therefore, also for medical reasons, I have submitted my resignation from the cabinet to the Hon'ble Chief Minister," he said.
The CID on February 27 filed a more than 1,200-page chargesheet at a court in Beed district in Deshmukh's murder and two related cases.
Three separate cases - murder of sarpanch, bid to extort money from Avaada company and assault on security guard of the firm - have been registered at Kej police station in Beed. The police have invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against the accused in the cases.
Seven persons have been arrested so far and booked under the MCOCA. One of the accused is still at large.