NEW DELHI, May 19: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saayoni Ghosh on Tuesday said she had received an “open death threat” after the BJP leader Pradeep Dixit, the chairman of the Sikandrabad Nagar Palika in Uttar Pradesh announced a ₹1 crore “reward” for anyone who “beheads” her.
“Whoever brings Saayoni Ghosh’s severed head will be given a reward of ₹1 crore,” Dixit pointedly said, according to several videos circulated on social media. Speaking to a web channel, Dixit did not deny having made the “reward” comment.
This triggered sharp reactions from the TMC leader, who termed the statement an open death threat and demanded immediate action against the BJP leader.
The row is over an image shared by Ghosh on social media which had stirred controversy leading to an FIR in 2015. Ghosh had claimed that her account had been hacked at the time and the Shivling image been posted by the hackers.
Tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Ghosh wrote on X: “I am taken aback to see a public announcement offering a ₹1 crore reward for my beheading, issued by none other than a Nagar Palika Chairman and BJP leader from Sikandrabad, UP. This threat is circulating widely across social media platforms and has been reported in the mainstream media.”
She added, “Is declaring a bounty to behead a woman, a sitting Member of Parliament — issued by a BJP public representative in a BJP-ruled state — the true idea of ‘Nari Shakti Vandan’ in New Bharat?” referring to terms used for women empowerment by the BJP government.
Ghosh also questioned the BJP leadership over women’s safety, saying an elected representative was now facing “an open death threat” from a member of the ruling party. She urged the West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh police authorities to take immediate legal action against the BJP leader.
“I want to thank all my well-wishers who have expressed concern for my safety. Rest assured, I will continue to exercise my democratic right to be a voice of dissent both inside and outside Parliament and I will not be bullied into silence,” she further wrote.
The row stems from a 2015 social media post from Ghosh’s account that resurfaced in 2021 and again during the recent West Bengal elections. An FIR was filed against her earlier over the post. Ghosh had maintained that her social media account was hacked in 2015 and that the image was uploaded by the hacker. She said the post was removed immediately after she regained access to the account.
(Manas Dasgupta)
