Following the Pahalgam attack and ongoing threats against Muslims, long-time Congress leader and Bhopal Central MLA Arif Masood is now facing death threats, with the latest coming publicly from BJP leader and close supporter of Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Krishna Ghadge.
On Tuesday, multiple videos emerged of Krishna Ghadge addressing a Hanuman Janmotsav event, where he spoke about the terror attack and stated: “This matter is not about Pakistan. Those agents of Pakistan are standing at this very intersection, listening. I want to tell them, now try causing a ruckus in Bhopal. Arif Masood, the thief, and his followers who oppose our religion, we will not spare them… We will deal with them right here.”
Ghadge, a member of the state BJP working committee, also referred to Masood as a “Pakistani agent” during his remarks, which sparked significant backlash.
His remarks sparked outrage, with Masood’s supporters filing a police complaint, prompting an investigation.
Ghadge, who remained unapologetic, took to Facebook, stating, “Our rally was against Pakistan. My statement calling him a Pakistani agent and a threat to take his life. It’s a subject that is much better discussed now that the Arif Masood fan club people are filing a complaint against me… I spoke against Pakistan, and they are taking Pakistan’s side and filing a report against me.”
The incident further inflamed tensions following an earlier death threat issued to Masood by another “Youth BJP leader” Sachin Raghuvanshi.
Sachin, whose profile picture features him with BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma, known for his anti-Muslim rhetoric, posted on Facebook, “I’ll kill Masood tomorrow… Who will bail me out of jail? I love dying and killing for the nation. I will eliminate all traitors who support such attacks.”
Following this open death threat, an FIR was filed at Shahjahanabad Police Station after Arif Masood’s supporter and former councillor Mewalal Kannerji complained.
Sachin, who frequently posts photos with guns on Facebook, deleted the post after the FIR.
Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh took to X, urging Bhopal police to enhance Masood’s security, and take necessary action.
“Will @CP_Bhopal assess the ‘Threat Perception’ regarding Arif Masood’s security and enhance his protection? It should be enhanced. Will @BJP4MP take legal action against Sachin Suryavanshi? They should,” he said.
Masood claimed the attacks were politically motivated, citing his strong opposition stance and advocacy for Hindu-Muslim unity as reasons for being targeted by the BJP.
Ever since the militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, Muslims across different parts of India have faced violent attacks and death threats, particularly after the Hindu right-wing IT cell began spreading misinformation and anti-Muslim propaganda on social media, leading to economic boycotts, physical violence, denial of treatment by doctors, social media hate, and other forms of discrimination.
