Eknath Shinde receives death threat; email says will blow up Maharashtra Deputy CM’s car

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde received a death threat via email on Thursday, February 20. The email threatened to blow up the Shiv Sena leader's car. The Goregaon and JJ Marg police stations, along with the Mantralaya (state secretariat), received the threatening messages.

The Mumbai Police and the Crime Branch have launched an investigation to trace the sender's IP address. In response to the threat, security around Eknath Shinde has been heightened.

Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde is in Delhi to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.

Shinde in Delhi to attend Rekha Gupta's swearing-In

"It is a matter of joy that our 'Ladli Behna' (beloved sister) will take the oath in Delhi... We thank PM Modi for this...," Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde said on Thursday, as he attended the BJP MLA from Shalimar Bagh's swearing-in ceremony in the national capital.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, other Union ministers, NDA chief ministers and deputy chief ministers attended the ceremony.

Rekha Gupta will be the fourth woman chief minister of Delhi. Delhi has had women chief ministers from the BJP, the Congress, and the Aam Aadmi Party. She will succeed Atishi.

Not the first death threat to Shinde

This is not the first time that Shinde has received a death threat. Earlier in February 2024, a college student had also issued death threats to Eknath Shinde and his MP son Shrikant Shinde. The threat was issued via social media, prompting police intervention.

The 19-year-old student was arrested for sending the death threats to Eknath Shinde and his son on February 11, 2024.

According to an NDTV report, quoting the police, “19-year-old student Shubham Warkad, who posted death threats to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and MP Shrikant Shinde through social media platform X, has been arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch from Pune."

The accused had posted death threats to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his son Shrikant Shinde on social media on February 11, NDTV had further quoted police as saying.

Police had registered a case against the accused under sections 506(2) and 505(1)(B) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).