On July 16, Bhilwara Police in Rajasthan arrested five people for giving death threats to a man identified as Ayush Soni. As per reports, he was receiving ‘sar tan se juda’ threats after he allegedly shared a social media post supporting former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma. He had shared the post on WhatsApp, after which he received these threats.
When Hindu organizations came to know about the death threats given to Soni, they demanded quick and strict action. Protests and bandh were called by the Hindu organizations in Bhilwara. Later on Saturday, the Police arrested five people for threatening Soni, and security was provided to his family.
Earlier, Soni’s mother had sought protection from the Police. In a statement, she said, “We are getting death threats every day ever since my son shared the post. I apologize for the mistake and beg for mercy. Those threatening us said my son would be beheaded.”
Threats to two businessmen in Udaipur
On Sunday, July 17, OpIndia reported that two businessmen had received death threats in the Dhanmandi Police Station area where Kanhaiya Lal was brutally murdered on June 28. They both had received death threats on WhatsApp from an Iranian number. Following the threats, Police was deployed outside their shops and houses.
Murder of Kanhaiya Lal
On June 28, a Hindu tailor named Kanhaiya Lal was brutally beheaded in Udaipur, Rajasthan. He was killed over an alleged social media post in which he had supported Nupur Sharma. As per reports, his neighbour Nazim had filed a complaint against him, following which he was arrested by the Police.
Kanhaiya Lal was later released on bail. Nazim also shared his information on his community’s WhatsApp groups. Kanhaiya continued to receive threats, following which he closed his shop for six days. After Police assured him nothing would happen as there was a compromise between him and those threatening him, he opened the shop on the seventh day. On the same day, two Islamists entered his shop, posed as customers, and killed him.
Another man identified as Umesh Kolhe was killed in Amravati, Maharashtra, for the same reason. Both the cases were handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). So far, multiple reports of similar death threats have come to light since Kanhaiya Lal’s murder.