In a replay of the grisly gesture which sent panic waves across the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) last Saturday, the Ranade Institute, which hosts the Pune University’s Department of Journalism and Communication, received a similarly anonymous explosive parcel late Monday containing a death letter addressed to Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union (JNUSU) leader Kanhaiya Kumar.
As in the package sent to FTII, this parcel contained explosive powder and a detonator as well. It was addressed to Ms. Madhavi Reddy, Head of the Communications Department.
The threat letter likewise warned students and authorities of the dire consequences in the event Mr. Kumar was invited to speak inside the campus.
ADVERTISEMENT
It was primarily owing to the initiative of the journalism students at Ranade Institute that Mr. Kumar’s talk in the city on April 24 could happen. Before the event, rightwing activists, especially members of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), had consistently threatened the students with adverse consequences if they dared to host Mr. Kumar.