The Pune Crime branch detained a man for allegedly threatening to kill newly inducted Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, as the news agency ANI reported on Tuesday. The police have said that the investigation into the matter is underway. Chhagan Bhujbal was recently inducted into the Eknath Shinde-led cabinet.The 24-year-old man allegedly called on a phone number of Bhujbal's personal assistant (PA) on Monday night saying he has taken Bhujbal's supari (contract) and he will kill him, the police official said, as reported by PTI.
Bhujbal's PA filed a police complaint in this connection. An offence was registered against the person and during the investigation, his location was traced to Mahad in neighbouring Raigad district, the official said.
According to a PTI report, the Pune Crime Branch has detained the man from Mahad and he is being brought to Pune for further probe.
Bhujbal and eight other NCP MLAs, including Ajit Pawar, joined the Shinde-BJP government on July 2. Pawar was sworn in as the deputy chief minister, while the others including Bhujbal took oath as cabinet ministers.
On Monday, former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray said the BJP had betrayed Hindutva by including those who had quit other parties, an apparent jibe to the Shinde faction and Ajit Pawar camp.
"Our Hindutva is pure and clean and there is no place for such betrayal in our Hindutva," he said, as quoted by PTI.
Without naming the Shinde faction, he said some persons were taking the name of Bal Thackeray as they know the name of Modi will not work in Maharashtra. He said that the BJP, which claims to be the world's largest party, and its "supreme leader", referring to Modi, had to garner votes in the Assembly polls in Karnataka in May by invoking Bajrang Bali. “However, it did not work,” he added.