India, Jan. 17 -- Walmik Karad, the alleged mastermind behind Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh's murder, faces serious charges from more than 140 farmers, who claim he took bribes from them so that they could avail a government grant for sugarcane harvesters. They never received the money.

Karad, described as a local strongman who had unleashed a reign of terror in Beed district, is an associate of food and civil supplies minister Dhananjay Munde, whose dismissal is being sought for his close ties to Karad and his unlawful activities. The farmers' claim has brought to light another connection that appears to link Karad to Munde - it turns out that the grant for the harvesters was part of the National Agriculture Development Scheme under th...