Massive protest march in Beed demanding arrest of Munde aide

Protestors also demand sacking of NCP minister Munde for protecting alleged mastermind Karad

- Saurabha Kulshreshtha

BEED: More than 50,000 people from across the political spectrum marched in protest in Beed on Saturday, demanding the arrest of local strongman Walmik Karad, the alleged mastermind behind the recent murder of a local sarpanch, Santosh Deshmukh. The protestors also demanded that state food and civil supplies minister Dhananjay Munde (NCP) be dismissed for allegedly protecting Karad.

Local activists and politicians, from opposition parties as well as the ruling Mahayuti alliance, participated in the silent march, including Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil; Chhatrapati Sambhaji of the Kolhapur royal family; local BJP MLAs Suresh Dhas and Abhimanyu Pawar; NCP MLA Prakash Solanke; and NCP (SP) MLAs Jitendra Awhad and Sandeep Kshirsagar. They were opposing the "reign of terror" in Beed by a crime syndicate allegedly led by Karad, under Munde's protection.

The protesters said they would intensify their agitation if Karad and the other absconding accused were not arrested. The march appeared to have undertones of the Maratha protests for reservation that had rocked Marathwada earlier this year, although the leaders who spoke at Saturday's rally insisted that their anger was not directed against any community in particular.