Mumbai mayor Pednekar provided security after receiving death threat letter

Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar has been provided with security after she received a death threat letter from an anonymous sender on Friday, Maharashtra home minister Dilip Walse Patil said on Sunday.

“After the Mumbai Mayor received the threat letter, we have provided her security. The search operation of the sender is on. Whosoever is found to be the culprit, would be punished harshly,” Patil said while speaking to reporters, according to news agency ANI.

Also Read| Man threatens to kill Mumbai mayor, detained in Gujarat

Soon after receiving the letter, which also threatened to kill her family members, Kishori Pednekar, who is a leader of the ruling Shiv Sena, filed a complaint with Byculla Police station on Friday.

The Mumbai mayor said the letter was full of vulgar language.

A first information report (FIR) has been registered against an unidentified person under sections 506 (2) and 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Byculla police station and teams have been sent to Uran, Kharghar and Panvel in Navi Mumbai and Raigad as part of the probe, an official told PTI.

Kishori Pednekar received death threats on December 21, 2020. A man from Gujarat called Pednekar on her phone, which was attended by her assistant, and allegedly threatened to kill the Mumbai mayor. Pednekar filed a complaint with the police and the caller was detained in January this year.

Meanwhile, Pednekar also filed a complaint against Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashish Shelar, alleging he made objectionable remarks against her while criticising the Shiv Sena-ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC’s) handling of a recent cylinder blast in Worli.

Ashish Shelar was arrested in connection with the alleged remarks and was later released on bail. The BJP leader claimed his remarks against the Mumbai mayor were distorted.