Mumbai: IT professional arrested from Pune for giving death threat to NCP chief Sharad Pawar

Sharad Pawar. File Pic

The Mumbai Crime Branch officials have arrested a 34-year-old man from Pune for allegedly issuing death threats on social media to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, reported news agency ANI.

"The accused has been identified as Sagar Barve and he works in an IT company," officials told ANI on Sunday.

He was presented in a court from where he has been sent to judicial custody till June 13, they said.

As per the police, the accused had created two fake social media accounts for sending death threats to the NCP supremo.

"Mumbai crime branch arrested a 34-year-old man from Pune in connection with a threat call to NCP chief Sharad Pawar. The accused has been identified as Sagar Barve. The police produced him in a court today where the court has sent him to police custody till Tuesday," Mumbai Police told ANI.

The matter pertains to the alleged death threats given to Sharad Pawar. Supriya Sule said on May 9, alleged receiving a threat message, directed at her father on WhatsApp. Labelling the threat as 'low-level politics', she added that this should stop.

"I received a message on WhatsApp for Pawar Sahab. He was threatened through a website. So, I have come to the Police demanding justice. I urge Maharashtra Home Minister and Union Home Minister to act. Such actions represent low-level politics and should stop," Sule told reporters.

She added that if justice isn't done in such cases, the Centre and State Home departments will be held responsible.

"The police have been informed. The Home Department also needs to intervene in this matter. Politics should be set aside in such cases," Sule added.

The NCP leaders told the police that Pawar received a message on Facebook that he will "meet the same fate as Narendra Dabholkar (a rationalist who was shot dead in 2013)".

The Mumbai Police had registered a case against two people in connection with the anonymous death threat to Pawar, under sections 153(A), 504 and 506(2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Reacting over the alleged threats, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had directed the police to beef up security for the former CM Sharad Pawar.

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis had also said that although there are ideological differences with the NCP, issuing threats to a prominent Opposition leader won't be tolerated.

(With inputs from ANI)