The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) leaders from Bihar seem to be on the hit-list of the banned outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM) and the Maoists, according to a news report by a local daily.
According to a report in the Hindi daily Hindustan , the Ministry of Home Affairs has sent a letter to the Patna police stating that BJP MP Shahnawaz Hussain could be a likely target of the IM.
On the other hand, Bihar agencies also suspect that BJP leaders — the former Deputy Chief Minister, Sushil Kumar Modi and the former State Minister Giriraj Singh — besides Janata Dal (United) MP Sushil Kumar Singh, could be on the Naxal radar, the report said. The State administration, however, remained non-committal about having received any alerts from the Centre on the likely threat to these leaders.
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Asked for confirmation, Amir Subhani, Principal Secretary, Home, passed the buck to Bihar Director General of Police Abhayanand.
However, Mr. Abhayanand told The Hindu , “I can neither confirm, nor deny the report. I have not read the letter.”
Sushil Khopde, Patna Zonal Inspector General of Police, said he was not aware of a letter from the MHA.
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Meanwhile, the State forces have taken note of the Naxal threat. “Every political functionary is a target of the Maoists. Adequate security will be provided not just to the leaders named, but to any political leader. There is no reason to take these reports lightly,” Amit Kumar, IG, Operations, told The Hindu .