MUMBAI: Protesting against the police’s alleged inaction after Congress MLA from Malegaon Asif Sheikh received death threats on social media, party members in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday accused the state government of “shielding ideological terrorism”.
Last month, Sheikh received death threats over YouTube and Facebook for allegedly taking a stand against the legislation for cow progeny protection.
In videos on social media platforms, Machchindranath Shirke, reportedly an activist of Sanatan Sanstha, and one Acharya Jitendra Maharaj, a sanyasi at an ashram in Mumbai, accused the legislator of motivating the public to act against the cow progeny protection act and also of urging them to shelter Rohingya Muslims.
On February 9, 2018, an FIR was lodged at the Malegaon police station against the two. While Shirke was externed from Malegaon city for posting the video, Acharya Mahendra clarified that his statements were not to threaten Sheikh but to educate people about his misdeeds.
“The state government is shielding ideological terrorism,” said the leader of opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil on Thursday, while stressing that fake cases have been lodged against him for speaking against the Sanatan Sanstha.
“We had raised the issue with police, but they haven’t initiated action,” Vikhe-Patil said after which speaker Haribhau Bagde assured him of quick and decisive action.