Beed sarpanch murder: Cop suspended for objectionable social media post on protests

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A police constable from Maharashtra's Beed district was suspended on Tuesday for allegedly writing objectionable posts on social media over agitations regarding the Beed sarpanch murder case, an official said, the PTI reported.

Gorakh Hadule, posted at Shivajinagar police station in Beed city of Maharashtra, had allegedly circulated these posts on social media four days back, as per the PTI.

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"An order suspending Hadule was issued today. He will face an inquiry," the police official told PTI.

Protests and morchas have been held in Beed district since Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh was killed by some persons on December 9.

The slain sarpanch's family and opposition parties are demanding Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde's ouster from the state cabinet over his aide Walmik Karad's alleged link in a related extortion case, as per the PTI.

Walmik Karad was arrested in the extortion case, while seven persons were held in connection with Santosh Deshmukh's murder.

Karad's supporters hurl stones at buses against MCOCA invocation

Meanwhile, the supporters of Walmik Karad, arrested in an extortion case linked to the murder of a sarpanch in Beed district, on Tuesday threw stones at buses and set tyres on fire in Parli town after MCOCA was invoked against him, police said, according to the PTI.

Earlier in the day, an official said that Karad, an aide of Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde, has been booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA).

The invocation of MCOCA makes it difficult for the accused to secure bail.

Supporters of Karad targeted buses with stones, set tyres ablaze, and tried to block roads, police said.

As angry protesters roamed the roads, many shops downed their shutters in the hometown of Karad.

The demonstrations were held despite prohibitory orders in place in Beed district till January 28.

Beed Superintendent of Police Navneet Kanwat said two incidents were reported in Parli where tyres were set on fire, and the windshield of a state transport bus was damaged.

He said nobody was injured.

"We are trying to make people understand that the court's order (remanding Karad to judicial custody) should be accepted," Kanwat said.

He said the additional superintendent of police and the sub-divisional police officer reached Parli and appealed to people against taking the law into their own hands.

A case was registered for damaging the bus windshield while the process is on to book an offence for burning of tyres, Kanwat added.

Supporters of Karad and his mother are staging a sit-in protest in front of Parli city police station, claiming he was implicated in the extortion case and should be released. Some of his supporters climbed a stone tower to press the demand, the news agency reported.

Prohibitory orders have been imposed in Beed district till January 28 in view of protests against the murder of a sarpanch and quota-related agitations by Maratha and OBC activists.

(with PTI inputs)