The Kerala police on Monday, September 28, registered a case against BJP spokesperson Printu Mahadev for issuing a death threat against Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi. He has been booked under Section 192 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), Section 353 (statements conducing to public mischief) and Section 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The case was registered based on the complaint of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee secretary Sreekumar CC.
Mahadev stoked a controversy by threatening that Rahul Gandhi “would be shot in the chest” if he attempted to replicate the Gen Z-style Nepal protest in India. The BJP leader made these provocative remarks in a live debate conducted by News 18 Kerala.
“This is neither a slip of the tongue, nor careless hyperbole. It is a cold, calculated and chilling death threat against the Leader of the Opposition and one of India's foremost political leaders. That such poisonous words are uttered by an official spokesperson of the ruling party not only places the life of Shri Rahul Gandhi in immediate danger, but also undermines the Constitution, the rule of law, and the basic security assurances owed to every citizen - let alone the Leader of the Opposition,” Congress MP KC Venugopal wrote in his letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The Congress party said that the “naked and open death threat” carries the stench of a “larger, sinister conspiracy” being cultivated to validate violence against Rahul Gandhi.
The party demanded immediate action against Mahadev.
“This threat is not just a careless outburst of a petty functionary; it is symptomatic of a deliberately cultivated, toxic atmosphere of hate that renders the LoP vulnerable to mindless violence. As such, any failure by you to act swiftly, decisively and publicly will be judged as complicity - a de facto licence for the legitimisation and normalisation of violence against the Leader of the Opposition and a grave breach of your oath as Union Home Minister. The nation demands immediate, exemplary legal action through the state police so that justice is swift, visible and severe,” the letter further reads.