Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'PM not bothered about threats' that was published in Newsband

PM not bothered about threats

Delhi Commissioner of Police Amulya Patnaik has allegedly received an e-mail that threatened that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be killed. The one line e-mail reportedly claimed that Prime Minister Modi would be killed in November 2019. The mail was reportedly sent to the official e-mail address of the top cop in Delhi.

After the Delhi Police Commissioner received the threat mail regarding PM Modi’s safety, security agencies have been put on high alert. Initial investigation revealed that the mail was probably sent via a server that has been traced to North-East, specifically to Assam.

However, cops were yet to nab the culprit who had sent the threat e-mails. The police investigation was initiated as soon as the senior cop received the threat mail, reports suggested.

In June this year, the Pune Police had claimed to have recovered a letter by suspected Maoists in which a plot to assassinate PM Narendra Modi. The cops had made the discovery while probing the case of Bhima Koregaon caste violence that took place in January this year. The letter, dated April 18, 2017, was recovered from the residence of Delhi-based rights activist Rona Wilson, who was one of the five activists arrested in June in connection with the caste-violence case.

The letter, written by someone named as 'R' and addressed to one 'Comrade Prakash'.

PM Modi said that he is not bothered about threats and abuses and that he would do whatever it takes to make India strong. He added that the Opposition was guided by politics and selfish interests and they did not want a strong India or a strong armed force.

“Modi hatred” is reaching new levels daily. There is a competition on who abuses him the most. Modi recalled that as many as 50 governments were dismissed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi using Article 356. Even the DMK had become a victim.

The assassination threat is a serious matter of national importance. Is this the type of freedom of expression that our constitution protects and should continue to protect? Doesn’t this matter call for serious condemnation?  

Death threats are not the Gandhian way and we should always avoid threats against our opponents just like a committed Gandhian Satyagrahi. We catch flies with sweet honey and not with sour vinegar.