Mass surrender of Naxalites offers hope, rising crime poses challenge before cops

From mass surrender of Naxalites to developments linked to the brutal murder of a sarpanch in Beed, from attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan by a Bangladeshi man to high-profile fraud cases, including the Pune land deal, Maharashtra witnessed a chequered year in terms of crime and security in 2025.

- MPOST BUREAU

The previous year had ended on a tragic note with the brutal murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massa Jog village in Beed. The barbarity of the killing shook the conscience of not only the state but the entire nation.

Its repercussions continued to reverberate this year.

In January this year, the prime accused in the case, Walmik Karad, a close aide of NCP leader Dhananjay Munde, was booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and sent to judicial custody.

In March, Munde, who was a minister at that time, had to step down due to mounting political pressure.

In October this year, major success was scored in the antiNaxal operation after key Naxalites Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias 'Bhupathi' surrendered with 60 cadres in Gadchiroli.

The Centre has set March 31, 2026 as the deadline to eliminate Naxalism from the country.