SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya receives ‘death threat’, demands police action

“It is the 15th time, I received a threat to life...”

The Samajwadi Party (SP) national general secretary Swami Prasad Maurya on Wednesday alleged that he received a death threat and demanded that the Uttar Pradesh police take immediate cognisance of the “serious murderous warning” and ensure legal action.

Speaking to The Hindu Mr. Maurya added as he was fighting a battle for justice and saving the Constitution and the country against the “status quoist forces”, he was being threatened continuously. “It is the 15th time, I received a threat to life... the threat has come from ‘Bhagwa’ [saffron] brigade who are in reality ‘Bhagwa’ terrorist disguising as saints or their supporters, but all such threats cannot stop me from fighting for justice of women, Scheduled Castes, Dalits and Backward Classes,” he said.

Mr. Maurya wrote on social networking platforms that a Twitter handle named ‘International Saffron Rakshak Force Jai Shri Ram’ on May 29, 2023, at 7.12 p.m., threatened him by writing “will settle you within a month” and posting his photo with sword hanging in front of his neck. He added that it directly indicated a threat to kill him. Mr. Maurya tagged the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, the Uttar Pradesh government, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary, Uttar Pradesh DGP, demanding that they take cognisance of the matter and ensure prompt legal action.

Mr. Maurya joined the SP before the 2022 Assembly poll after resigning as Cabinet Minister in the Yogi Adityanath government as well as from the BJP, alleging injustice to the Other Backward Classes. He created a controversy in January, 2023 when he said that objectionable language was used in the Ramcharitramanas written by Tulsidas against Backwards Classes, Dalits and Adivasis, leading to an uproar with the Hindu right wing organisations filing a police complaint against him. An FIR was registered against Mr. Maurya at the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow under Sections 153 A (wanton vilification or attacks upon religion, race, place of birth, residence), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religious beliefs) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Indian Penal Code . The ruling BJP also criticised the SP leader alleging that his comments showed the Opposition party’s hatred towards the Hindu religion.