Maha home minister orders probe after RTI activist claims RSS threat

July 24, 2020 22:04

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Friday said he has ordered a probe after activist Saket Gokhale claimed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activists gathered outside his home in neighbouring Thane and threatened his mother.

In a tweet, Gokhale had sought urgent assistance from police and the state home minister and shared a video showing some persons gathered outside his residential building and chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans.

A police official said around 15 persons gathered outside the building where Gokhale lives and shouted slogans.

They were protesting against Gokhale for approaching court over the August 5 Ram temple 'Bhoomi Pujan' ceremony, he said.

The identity of the persons is not known but Gokhale claimed that they were RSS workers, the official said.

'We are taking very serious cognisance of this and have immediately ordered an enquiry into this issue. We will immediately provide you protection. Thane police have been instructed accordingly,' the minister tweeted.

The Allahabad high court on Friday dismissed a plea filed by Gokhale for stopping the August 5 'Bhoomi Pujan' ceremony for laying down the foundation stone for building a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Gokhale contended that the ceremony would breach the central government's anti-COVID-19 protocol.

In a tweet on Thursday, Gokhale had claimed that an advertising and social media company owned by a Bharatiya Janata Party office-bearer was hired by Maharashtra's Chief Electoral Officer to issue election-related online ads during the 2019 assembly polls. -- PTI

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

3,300 CISF jawans to replace CRPF in Parliament security starting Monday

The parliament duty group of the CRPF wound up its entire administrative and operational paraphernalia -- vehicles, weapons and commandos -- from the complex on Friday and its commander, a deputy inspector general-rank officer, handed...

Bibhav Kumar sent to 5-day police custody in Maliwal assault case

It noted the prosecution's submissions about the need to take Kumar to Mumbai and other parts of the national capital to collect evidence, which was not possible without the accused's custody.

AAP workers marching towards BJP HQ detained, Sec 144 imposed

The traffic police also issued an advisory in view of the protest planned outside the BJP office at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, while entry and exit have been disallowed at the nearest ITO metro station.

Factors that will guide the markets this week

The last batch of quarterly earnings, global trends and trading activity of foreign investors will guide the equity market movement in a holiday-shortened week ahead, analysts said. Volatility may continue amid investors' cautious...

'God's plan, baby': Yash Dayal redeems himself

Yash Dayal had the haunting memory of Rinku Singh's five consecutive sixes last year when Mahendra Singh Dhoni lofted his full-toss over the Chinnaswamy stadium roof in Saturday's crucial IPL match in Bengaluru.