Ahead of this year's Braj Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra in Haryana's Nuh, the Faridabad police arrested a 15-year-old boy in Rajasthan's Deegh on Friday for allegedly levelling death threats and demanding money from cow vigilante Bittu Bajrangi. The juvenile was apprehended after Bajrangi registered a police complaint on Wednesday, claiming he was being threatened over phone ahead of the yatra in Nuh, news agency PTI reported.
Last year on July 31, the yatra was marred by violence after a mob tried to stop it, leading to the death of five people.
The deceased including two home guards, were killed and several others were injured in the Nuh violence, which spread further to other areas of the state.
In Gurugram, a naib imam (cleric) at a mosque was also killed amid a chain of incidents of arson.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad had announced that the yatra would take place on July 22 this year.
Police told PTI that an FIR was lodged at the Saran police station in Faridabad on Wednesday, following the complaint from Rajkumar alias Bittu Bajrangi.
'If You Come To The Nalhar Temple, You Will Not Be Alive': Bajrangi In Complaint
The cow vigilante stated in his complaint that on July 6, he received a call on his mobile phone from a man, who threatened him to stay away from Nuh or else he would be killed.
After being produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, the Class 11 student who was apprehended in connection with the case, was sent to a correction home, police said.
During questioning, it was revealed that the juvenile had found out Bittu Bajrangi's ID on Instagram, from where he extracted his mobile number and threatened him.
"The phone from which the minor had threatened has been recovered by the police," PTI quoted a senior police officer as saying.
Last year too, Bajrangi was warned not to attend the yatra. But when he announced he would attend the procession organised by the VHP, it resulted in violence.
Citing the FIR, police stated that the vigilante claimed the caller told him that he would be killed this time if he attended after he managed to survived last time.
The caller told Bajrangi that a plan had been hatched to kill him and added that "if he wanted to live, then send Rs 1 lakh on this mobile," PTI reported citing the complaint.
Bajrangi also stated in his complaint that the caller told him: "If you do not send the money, then we will kill you. If you come to the Nalhar temple, you will not be alive."
The cow vigilante claimed that he had been getting such threat calls ever since the yatra plans were announced and its date was revealed.
Faridabad Police have filed an FIR under sections 351(2), (3) and 308 (2) of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita. These sections pertain to criminal intimidation, and threat to cause grievous injury or death.