'Beed becoming Bihar': Devendra Fadnavis' big dilemma as head of a department 'he doesn't enjoy'

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis

In 2023, during a Diwali get-together at his residence, Devendra Fadnavis, then Deputy CM, casually told reporters that despite heading the home department, he didn’t enjoy the responsibility much. “The day often begins with some bad news,” he remarked. Two years later, Fadnavis continues to lead the home department, albeit as CM. His fresh tenure as the in-charge of the department has begun with a challenge that has placed him in a dilemma. The brutal murder of a sarpanch in Beed has snowballed into a political crisis, putting Fadnavis in the dock.

Santosh Deshmukh, a popular village sarpanch in the Beed district, had intervened in a dispute, allegedly over extortion from a windmill operator. A day later, he was abducted. His body was recovered in a mutilated state a few hours later. The brutal murder led to statewide uproar and a political storm when it was alleged that a man named Valmiki Karad played a role in the murder conspiracy. Karad, a local strongman, was a confidant of NCP leader Dhananjay Munde, who is also a minister in Devendra Fadnavis’s cabinet.

As per reports, Karad was often seen with Munde at public events, and his proximity to the minister was well-known. He had been associated with the Munde family since the time of deceased BJP leader Gopinath Munde and played a role in the family’s political affairs. Numerous protests demanding the resignation of Dhananjay Munde have been organized since the news of the murder emerged. It has been highlighted that Karad had a history sheet with over ten offenses, including attempted murder, kidnapping, and extortion, registered against him. However, law enforcement agencies were allegedly soft on Karad due to his political clout. Opposition parties allege that this political backing emboldened him.

The Beed district’s overall law and order situation has come under scrutiny. Opposition parties like Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and Congress have criticized the government, alleging, “Beed is becoming Bihar.” Over the decades, the metaphor of Bihar has often been used in Maharashtra by opposition parties to critique incumbents on law and order issues.

Valmiki Karad went into hiding after the murder and surrendered recently in Pune. Fadnavis, under fire, has ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case. Officers of the Beed police were also transferred on his orders. However, it has been alleged that officers in the SIT had close relations with Karad, raising questions about the fairness of the investigation. Notably, Karad has been booked only for extortion and not for murder.

The opposition is mounting pressure on Fadnavis to remove Munde from his cabinet. However, Munde, a minister from the NCP quota, has received support from party chief Ajit Pawar, who has refused to remove him, citing a lack of evidence. Fadnavis is in a dilemma. On one hand, he is striving to protect the image of his government; on the other, he faces the compulsions of alliance politics.

Beed has become an albatross for Fadnavis as Home Minister since last year. Violence over the Maratha quota was most intense in Beed, where houses and vehicles of politicians were torched by rampaging mobs. Apart from the present case of the sarpanch’s murder, Fadnavis also had to deal with a custodial death in Parbhani. A man arrested for rioting over the desecration of the Constitution’s replica died in police custody, leading to a political uproar.

Fadnavis’s previous tenure was also marred by troubles, including incidents of communal riots, a BJP MLA firing inside a police station, and the molestation of a minor girl in Badlapur—events that gave the opposition ammunition to target him. After Mahayuti returned to power two months ago, Shiv Sena demanded the home portfolio as a trade-off for forfeiting the CM’s chair. However, the BJP candidly rejected the demand.