AKOLA: Police on Monday filed a complaint against three to four unidentified persons for allegedly threatening a businessman in Maharashtra's Akola city for keeping his 'WhatsApp status' in support of suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, an official said.
The police action came after a delegation of local Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) office-bearers submitted a representation to Akola resident deputy collector Sanjay Khadse.
In the representation, the VHP alleged the businessman has been threatened with dire consequences for backing Sharma, who is facing widespread criticism over her objectionable comments on Prophet Mohammad during a TV show, and keeping his WhatsApp status in support of her.
The delegation said there was nothing in the post which hurts feelings of any community.
Fearing that he may be targeted, the businessman has kept his shop in the city closed for the last three days, the outfit said.
Kotwali police station inspector Chandrashekar Kadu said they have registered a complaint against three to four unidentified persons over the alleged threat to the businessman and launched an investigation.
The VHP has demanded that the matter be probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The development comes days after a chemist, Umesh Kolhe (54), was stabbed to death in adjoining Amravati district for showing support to Sharma in a WhatsApp group.
The Amravati police have said seven accused, including the mastermind of the June 21 murder, have been arrested so far.
The chief of the anti-terror probe agency NIA on Monday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and is understood to have briefed him about the progress in the ongoing investigations in the killings of two persons in Rajasthan's Udaipur and Maharashtra's Amravati, officials said.
Both the cases were handed over to the NIA by the home ministry.
Director-General of the National Investigation Agency Dinkar Gupta had a 40-minute meeting with the home minister at his North Block office where the former is said to have apprised him about the probe into the two cases.
The beheading of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur and the fatal stabbing of Umesh Kolhe in Amravati were allegedly carried out by the people who wanted to take revenge on the victims for supporting now-removed BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma after her controversial comments on Prophet Mohammed.
As many as five accused were arrested for Lal's murder and on Monday, the NIA sought the custody of four of the seven accused in the Kolhe case.
While Lal was killed by two men who also filmed the act on June 28, Kolhe was murdered in Amravati on June 21.