Accused of giving hate speech, BJP leader Kapil Mishra gets ‘Y’ grade security

Bhartiya Janata Party leader Kapil Mishra has been provided with Y level security. It entitles him to have six security personnel round-the-clock to guard him in and outside the city.

Kapil Mishra, who had joined BJP last year, tweeted on Sunday that he was receiving threats to his life on phone, WhatsApp and email, both from India and abroad.

According to a report in Deccan Chronicle, Mishra has been provided with two Personal Security Officers (PSOs), who will remain with him round-the-clock. Besides this, there are four more security personnel to ensure his safety. “As per the security protocols, one of the PSO’s will be armed with an automatic rifle, while the others will be carrying pistols with them,” said a source.

On February 23, Mishra led a gathering in support of CAA at Maujpur Chowk in the Jafarabad area, after which violence erupted between pro and anti-citizenship law groups.

Earlier on Monday, Supreme Court had agreed to hear on March 4 a plea seeking lodging of FIRs against Kapil Mishra and 3 other BJP leaders (Anurag Thakur, Parvesh Verma and Abhay Verma) for their purported hate speeches which allegedly led to recent violence in Delhi in which over 40 people lost their lives and scores injured.

The petition filed by 10 victims of the violence was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde which said it would be heard on Wednesday.

"We are not saying that people should die. That kind of pressure we are not equipped to handle. We cannot stop things from happening. We cannot give preventive reliefs. We feel a kind of pressure on us," the CJI said when senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for petitioners, sought urgent listing of the plea.

The bench, also comprising Justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant, said the court can deal with a situation only after it takes place and it is not equipped to prevent it.

"The kind of pressure on us, you should know, we cannot handle that," the bench said, adding, "We also read newspapers and the comments which are made. It is like as if the court is responsible".

"We would wish peace but you know that there are limitations," the CJI told Gonsalves who said that the court can prevent any further deterioration of the situation.

When the bench said that the Delhi High Court is already seized of petitions on Delhi violence, Gonsalves said the high court has deferred the matter for almost six weeks and it was disappointing.

"When people are still dying then why cannot the high court hear it urgently," he said and urged the apex court to list the plea for hearing on Tuesday.

The bench agreed to list the petition for hearing on Wednesday and said, "We will see what we can do".