1 held for issuing death threat to Bhim Army chief

The Amethi police have arrested a driver who allegedly issued a death threat to the Bhim Army Chief Chandra Shekhar Azad, the police said.

Vimlesh Singh, 30, was arrested from the Gauriganj police station area, the police added.

Amethi Superintendent of Police (SP), Elamaran G, said that Vimlesh drove a carriage van in Haryana.

The SP added that Vimlesh made the comments on Facebook because he felt “outraged and humiliated” by the remarks made against his community by the Bhim Army chief.

On Thursday, the police had registered an FIR against an unidentified person in Amethi district for a Facebook post where a death threat had been issued to Azad, days before the attack on him in Saharanpur on Wednesday evening.

The FIR, registered under IPC Section 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and Section 66 under the IT Act, was lodged at the Gauriganj police station.

The death threat was issued from a Facebook page called ‘Kshatriya of Amethi’.

The post, which has now been deleted, said that Azad would be killed by the Thakurs of Amethi at a road crossing in broad daylight.

Another post shared on this Facebook page on Thursday said that “he (Azad) will not survive next time".

Azad is a very clever man, he needs security, a bulletproof vehicle and jacket, the post said and warned of a big movement if any innocent Rajput was framed for the attack.

A bullet had grazed the Bhim Army Chief’s abdomen when unidentified assailants opened fire at his car in Saharanpur’s Deoband on Wednesday evening.