Author and historian Ramachandra Guha received threat calls on Sunday, two days after he posted a photo of himself eating beef in Goa on Twitter.
He told The Hindu that he started receiving the calls on his residential landline from morning.
Earlier in the day, he had put out two tweets. In one, he said: “I have received threatening calls from a man calling himself Sanjay from Delhi... He threatened my wife as well as me. This is for the record.”
He also posted the cellphone number of the caller.
Second tweet
Within minutes, he put out a second tweet highlighting another Twitter user’s negative comments: “This threatening tweet below is from a former official of the Research and Analysis Wing. I would like to place it on record, and will do it with every subsequent threat received.”
Mr. Guha said that while he had not filed any formal complaint, he had informed a senior police official about the calls. “In the light of the murder of Gauri Lankesh and a long hit list, I thought I should keep the police informed...The photo was unnecessary, but I stand by my views,” he said.
The police have taken cognisance of the threats, but are yet to decide on the security cover to be provided.
“We have taken up the issue, and are tracing the callers,” B.K. Singh, Additional Commissioner of Police, West division, said.
Patrol increased
According to a senior officer, the local jurisdictional police have been told to increase the number of patrols in Mr. Guha’s neighbourhood. “The local police have been asked to be alert for suspicious activity in and around his place of residence,” said the officer.
Mr. Guha later deleted the photo and the tweet, and said: “I have deleted the photo of my lunch in Goa as it was in poor taste. I do wish however to again highlight the absolute hypocrisy of the BJP in the matter of beef, and to reiterate my own belief that humans must have the right to eat, dress, and fall in love as they choose.”
In the deleted tweet, he had shared a picture of himself enjoying beef and wrote: “After a magical morning in Old Goa we had lunch in Panaji, where-since this is a BJP ruled state-I decided to eat beef in celebration.”
Mr. Guha also replied to those who mocked him for eating beef despite being a Gandhian.
“Putting myself in the centre of the frame was exhibitionist and in poor taste. I could have made the same points in words, as I have done now,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Guha had tweeted that he and his wife had received phone calls threatening them .
“I have received threatening calls from a man calling himself Sanjay from Delhi. His number is +91-98351-38678. He threatened my wife as well as me. This is for the record,” he said in his first tweet.
Couple of minutes later, he posted another tweet levelling allegations against R K Yadav.
“This threatening tweet below is from a former official of the Research and Analysis Wing. I would like to place it on record, and will do with every subsequent threat received,” Mr. Guha said replying to Mr. Yadav’s post.
Mr. Yadav had tweeted, “If a Hindu eating beef & publicise it he is stigma on this religion. One Ramchandra Guha is doing so. He is trying to tease whole of Hindus by this dastardly action of such publicity. Shd be given befitting reply.”
Despite repeated attempts, Guha could not be reached for his reaction.
(With inputs from PTI)
