Beed: High drama unfolded outside the District Collector’s office on Friday morning when Sushma Ghule, who has been on a hunger strike for the past 10 days demanding the arrest of those allegedly involved in her husband Vilas Ghule’s murder, including the son of Beed MP Bajrang Sonwane, attempted suicide by consuming poison at the protest site. The incident sent shockwaves through the local administration.
Police personnel immediately intervened and rushed Sushma to Beed District Hospital, where she is currently undergoing treatment.
The incident occurred around 11am on Friday while Sushma was addressing media persons at the protest site outside the Collectorate. She suddenly pulled out a bottle containing a poisonous substance and consumed it in full public view.
Shivajinagar police station inspector Sheetalkumar Ballal and other police personnel on duty swiftly responded, confiscated the bottle and transported her to the district hospital. The incident led to brief moments of tension in the vicinity of the administrative complex.
As reported earlier, Vilas Ghule, a hotelier from Takali in Kaij tehsil, was brutally murdered with sharp weapons around 40 days ago when he reportedly intervened to break up a brawl.
The victim’s family has accused Saurabh Sonwane, son of NCP-SP MP Bajrang Sonwane, of allegedly shielding and aiding the perpetrators.
The family has demanded Saurabh Sonwane’s immediate arrest and his formal inclusion as an accused in the case.
Although the police have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the murder, the victim’s family has alleged that the authorities have been dragging their feet and shielding key individuals due to political pressure.
“Instead of taking strict action against Saurabh Sonwane for assisting the accused, the police machinery is actively trying to protect him,” the family alleged during their sit-in protest.
The family has been staging an indefinite hunger strike outside the Beed Collectorate for the last 10 days to press for their demands. Senior administrative and police officials are closely monitoring the situation, while security has been stepped up across key areas of the town.
Police said further investigation into the matter is underway.
