Is BJP cooking stories about Beed sarpanch murder accused’s assault in jail?

The situation surrounding Walmik Karad's alleged attack in Beed jail is becoming increasingly unclear due to contradictory statements.

While BJP MLA Suresh Dhas insists Karad was assaulted, jail authorities deny it, stating that the altercation involved other groups. The transfer of Mahadev Gitte and three other prisoners to Harsul facility in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and their claims of being beaten up on Karad’s orders further complicate the narrative.

This raises several questions:

• Is this a case of political maneuvering, or did an attack on Karad actually happen?

• Were the transferred prisoners moved for security reasons, or was it an attempt to control the narrative?

• Can CCTV footage or medical reports clarify the truth?

If BJP MLA Suresh Dhas is correct, it raises concerns about inmate safety and potential gang rivalries inside the jail.

However, if the jail authorities’ version is accurate, it suggests that the BJP might be using the incident to shape a particular narrative.

The transfer of four inmates adds to the intrigue — was it a routine move, a response to security concerns, or an attempt to suppress further violence? And if one of the transferred inmates is alleging they were beaten on Karad’s orders, it contradicts the claim that Karad was the victim.

However, without independent verification — like CCTV footage, medical reports, or an official probe — it is difficult to determine the actual truth.

Earlier on 31 March, Dhas said the alleged assault on Karad and co-accused Sudarshan Ghule was triggered by an argument over making a phone call from a room allotted to inmates to talk to their family members by the jail administration.

He cited "complaints" that "aka" (apparently referring to Karad) has access to a "special phone" and special food in the jail and demanded that the Beed superintendent of police (SP) visit the prison.

The MLA from Ashti in Beed district said the longstanding rivalry between local gangster Baban Gitte and Karad could have led to the alleged assault.

According to Dhas, Gitte supporters clashed with Karad and Ghule inside the prison.

"Karad's rivalry with Gitte goes back a long time. Karad used to say he would not wear footwear until he killed Baban, while Baban would say he would not shave until Walmik was dead," said the ruling party legislator who has been regularly speaking on the Santosh Deshmukh murder case.

However, B.N. Mulani, superintendent of Beed district jail, in a statement clarified there was no assault on Karad or his co-accused Ghule inside the prison as being reported by a section of the media.

Mulani informed that there was an incident in the morning in which two inmates under judicial custody -- Sudeep Sonavane and Rajesh Waghmode -- had a verbal altercation when they assembled in the room allotted to prisoners to make phone calls to their family members.

The prison's security personnel immediately intervened, separated the two and brought the situation under control, he said.

A case in this regard was registered at the Shivajinagar police station, said the statement.

While sitting in the police vehicle, Gitte claimed he and others were beaten up on the instructions of Karad.

He demanded that CCTV footage (of the jail) should be checked.

Dhas had demanded that Karad, an aide of NCP leader and former state minister Dhananjay Munde, and the other accused arrested in the sarpanch murder case be moved to jail either in Amravati district or Nagpur in the Vidarbha region.

Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was abducted and tortured to death on 9 December 2024 allegedly for attempting to stop an extortion bid targeting an energy company.

Eight persons, including Karad, have been arrested so far and booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

The other arrested accused are Sudarshan Ghule, Vishnu Chate, Jairam Chate, Mahesh Kedar, Sudhir Sangale, Prateek Ghule and Siddharth Sonawane. One Krishna Andhale is wanted in the case.

With PTI inputs