Urdu threat letter sent to Hindutva leader not by Muslims: Police

Indore: The curious matter of a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader from Madhya Pradesh's Indore getting a death threat letter from a burqa-clad woman took a new turn. Police informed that the VHP leader, Santosh Sharma, received the letter from his own friends, who belong to the Hindu community, Siasat reported.

Hindutva leader Sharma received the letter, written in Urdu, on July 12. Translating the letter into Hindi, it read that Sharma must read the lines and he will understand everything. He will not be saved, the letter claimed, and the phrase "Allahu Akbar" was added to the text.

Sharma, who claimed to have received a beheading threat last year, claimed that it has become regular that he is receiving similar threats. However, he stated that he remains steadfast in his commitment to his work for Hindutva, though it grows anxiety in his family as well as his organisation members. He claimed that last year's letter threatened him to stop working against "Islamic extremism".

In the old letter, he was also threatened to "cease working against Islamic extremism".

After Sharma received the July 12 Urdu letter, the Tukoganj Police launched an investigation which ended in the arrest of two people, Meera Kadam and Chhotu Bagwan, both of Sharma's close acquaintances. Police said that the arrestees admitted that they had delivered the letter during the interrogation. Police found lead through examination of CCTV footage from the area. Police had received CCTV footage of a burqa-clad person handing over the letter to Sharma's security guard.

Siasat reported that the Islamic phrases used in the letter expose the accused's intention without a doubt.