Karnataka elections: After ‘assassination bid’, Anantkumar Hegde gets ‘beheading’ threat calls

In the wee hours of Sunday, Union Minister of State Anantkumar Hegde allegedly received at least three calls from an unknown person.

Bengaluru, April 23: In the wee hours of Sunday, Union Minister of State Anantkumar Hegde allegedly received at least three calls from an unknown person, who threatened to "behead" the Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, say various media reports.

His personal assistant has lodged a complaint at Sirsi New Market Police station in the poll-bound state. The police registered a complaint under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 504 and 507, stated a report by ANI.

"#Karnataka: Union Minister Anant Kumar Hegde allegedly received a threat call in the wee hours of Sunday. His personal assistant has lodged a complaint at Sirsi New Market Police station. Police registered a complaint under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 504 & 507," tweeted ANI.

"I will behead you. You think you're a big leader? We'll behead you and cut you," the caller reportedly told Hegde over phone, according to a report by The News Minute.

"The call was made through VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) on the minister's mobile at 2:17 am and then later a call came at 2:20 am on the landline. It is then, that the minister's wife Srirupa picked up but the caller hung up without speaking. Once again a call came from the same number at 2:25am and the minister picked up," added The News Minute report.

"I am used to receiving threatening calls for a long time now. Last night around 2.30 am, on my landline, I received couple of blank calls before the third call started abusing & threatening to chop me to pieces, before I disconnected the call. The caller was speaking in Kannada," tweeted Hegde.

A few days ago, the controversial BJP leader from Karnataka said that his life was under threat after his escort vehicle was hit by a lorry on April 17. The MoS Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and BJP Member of Parliament (MP) from Uttar Kannada added that the accident was an assassination attempt against him.

Hegde, known for his controversial remarks, slammed the incumbent Congress government for being "insensitive and incompetent" towards solving the alleged assassination bid.

Last year, Hegde hogged the limelight after he said the BJP government at the Centre was planning to remove the word "secular" from the Constitution at an event in Karnataka. Later, after much uproar, he was forced to apologise in Parliament.

Both the alleged threat calls and assassination bid against the minister have been reported at a time when Karnataka is going to polls on May 12. The results of the elections will be out on May 15. The election battle between the Congress and the BJP is going uglier and tougher with each passing day as allegations levelled by Hegde suggest.