Rahul Gandhi (PTI image)
NEW DELHI: Police on Monday registered a case against BJP leader and former ABVP activist Printu Mahadevan for allegedly threatening to shoot Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi during a television debate.The case was filed by Peramangalam police based on a complaint from Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) secretary Sreekumar CC. The incident took place on Friday during a Malayalam news channel debate on protests in Bangladesh and Nepal.During the discussion, Mahadevan reportedly said that such protests could not take place in India because people strongly supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He allegedly added that if Rahul Gandhi attempted such actions, “bullets will pierce his chest.”Police registered the FIR under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Section 192 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause a riot), Section 353 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and Section 351(2) (criminal intimidation).The Congress party strongly condemned the remarks. AICC general secretary K C Venugopal wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, calling the threat “not just a careless outburst of a petty functionary”. He urged immediate legal action.”The nation demands immediate, exemplary legal action through the state police so that justice is swift, visible, and severe,” he said.Venugopal also shared his letter on X, saying disagreements in politics must be resolved within the constitutional framework, not through threats.Following the remarks, Congress workers staged protests across Kerala. Earlier, in a post on X, the Kerala Congress Committee’s official handle wrote: “A BJP spokesperson faces no action even after issuing an open death threat to the country’s Opposition leader. What has the BJP turned Indian democracy into? Does the government endorse this through its silence? The people deserve an explanation from those who lead the government.”
