Who Is Walmik Karad? Everything You Need To Know About Close Associate Of Dhananjay Munde Who Surrendered In Santosh Deshmukh Murder-Extortion Case |
The December 9 abduction and brutal murder of Massajog village sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in Beed district is still haunting the government, as the opposition refuses to back down on the issue.
In the recently held assembly session, the opposition alleged that Maharashtra NCP minister Dhananjay Munde’s close associate, Walmik Karad, was the “mastermind” of the murder.
As the uproar over the issue grew, Karad, wanted in an extortion case linked to the murder of Deshmukh, surrendered in Pune and was remanded to police custody for 14 days.
The Fadnavis-led coalition government, sworn in on December 5, has found itself in a tricky situation because of Karad’s links with Dhananjay Munde, who hails from Beed, and also because of the caste angle.
However, before the surrender, Karad posted a video on social media, claiming he was being linked to the murder for reasons of political vendetta.
Who is Walmik Karad?
Karad is a former Corporator and Deputy Mayor of Parli Municipal Council. He was the president of BJYM during the tenure of senior Munde but joined the NCP after Dhananjay Munde joined the party.
Walmik Karad originally hails from Pangri village in Parli taluka, born into a poor farmer’s family. After completing his tenth standard, he came to Parli for college education. To earn money, he would rent a VCR from Parli and show movies at the village fair. For that, he would charge ticket fees. He then started working hard for his financial progress. At that time, Walmik came in contact with Gopinath Munde’s confidant, Phulchand Karad. Phulchand Karad hired him to work at Gopinath Munde’s house. He would bring milk, vegetables, and groceries to the house and started doing all the household chores. By doing this, he earned Gopinath Munde’s trust.
Karad later started getting contracts in the thermal plant in Parli. With a big name behind him, his influence in Parli gradually increased. In the year 1995, the election of the board of directors of Vaidyanath College was held. At that time, there was a scuffle in the general meeting for the election of the president, and a bullet misfired from the gun of the then police officer Nagargoje, hitting Karad in the leg. After that, Gopinath Munde’s trust in him increased even more.
While working for Gopinath Munde, Karad came into contact with Gopinath Munde’s elder brother Pandit Anna Munde. He also became special to Pandit Anna. Karad’s tunes matched with Pandit Anna’s son, Dhananjay Munde. The two became friends. Later, after Dhananjay Munde left Gopinath Munde’s side, Karad stayed with Dhananjay Munde.
In the last ten years, after Dhananjay Munde’s weight increased in district politics, Karad’s word also started to gain respect. It is said that Karad, a de facto guardian minister of Beed, has reached the stage of deciding who should be the Superintendent of Police and District Collector of Beed district.
