Following the assassination of chemist Umesh Kolhe by Islamists in Amravati, Maharashtra, various media reports have emerged suggesting that Islamists targeted many other Hindus because they posted WhatsApp statuses in favour of ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
As per a report by India Today, two other people were threatened by Islamists and asked to apologise by recording a video of their apology. The call recordings of the two reveal how they were intimidated by the Islamists and forced to apologise.
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One such call was made to Dr Gopal Rathi from Amravati. Dr Rathi was called by someone from Rahebar Helpline, the NGO run by the killers of Umesh Kolhe, as per the India Today report. During the call, the caller said that he was offended by the WhatsApp status put by Dr Rathi and that it will be detrimental for him as he knows him very well. To which, Dr Rathi responded that he will remove the status if it is offending anyone. Dr Rathi was asked to apologise by making a video.
Accepting the demands of the callers, Dr Rathi shot a video in which he said, “I had put a status regarding Nupur Sharma. I had no intention to hurt the sentiments of any religion or caste or person. But, still, if someone is hurt, then I apologize to them from my heart. Also, I promise that there will be no such mistake in future.”
Another Amravati resident named Vijay received a similar threat call for sharing a WhatsApp status in favour of Nupur Sharma. Vijay received a phone call from someone threatening to ‘see’ him at his shop. The caller warned him of dire consequences if he did not make a video and apologise. Vijay, fearing for his life, also recorded a video apologising for posting the aforementioned WhatsApp status. The police have finally taken the matter into consideration and launched a formal investigation in this case.
It is notable that these threat calls were made prior to the murder of Umesh Kolhe who was killed by Islamists in Amravati of Maharashtra for allegedly sharing a social media post supporting Nupur Sharma.
