Amethi: A day after Bhim Army Chief Chandra Shekhar Azad was shot at by unidentified assailants in Saharanpur’s Deoband, Amethi police have arrested a driver who allegedly issued a death threat to him, the police said.
The accused, identified as Vimlesh Singh, 30, was arrested from the Gauriganj police station area, the police added.
According to Amethi Superintendent of Police (SP), Elamaran G, 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 a jacket, the post said and warned of a big movement if any innocent Rajput was framed for the attack.
The Bhim Army chief who sustained the bullet injury was discharged from SBD Hospital in Saharanpur of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday.
With inputs from IANS