IT Professional Held From Pune For Issuing Death Threat To Sharad Pawar

Mumbai Police on Monday arrested a man for alleged involvement in issuing a death threat to Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar.

Accused Sagar Barve is working in the data feeding and analytics section of a private firm, the police said.

"The Mumbai Crime Branch, which was probing the case, brought Barve to Mumbai. He was presented in court and has been remanded in police custody till Tuesday," the official said.

The NCP, on June 9, claimed 82-year-old Pawar received a message on social media threatening him with a fate similar to anti-superstition activist Narendra Dabholkar, who was shot dead in Pune on August 20, 2013.

"Sharad Pawar will meet the same fate as (Narendra) Dabholkar soon", the Facebook post read.

Narendra Dabholkar, who fought against superstitious beliefs, was shot dead by two bike-borne assailants during his morning walk in Pune on August 20, 2013.

Sule submitted printouts of the screenshots of the death threat to the police.

A senior police official told PTI that they have been informed about the threat to the NCP chief on a social media platform.

"We are looking into it. We have started a probe," the official said.

Meanwhile, senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar said the threat message was sent by one Saurav Pimpalkar whose social medial profile says he is a BJP supporter.

Instead of misusing the freedom of expression, one should fight the ideological battle in a dignified manner, he said talking to reporters.

Ajit Pawar, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly, said social media platforms are being deliberately misused to malign political leaders, post fake news and create divisions in society.