UP Police denies reports of threat to Varun's life

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Pilibhit candidate Varun Gandhi was shifted to Etah jail from a prison in Pilibhit on Tuesday night following reports of underworld don Chhota Shakeel trying to eliminate him.

However, Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday said there was no such threat on Varun's life.

"There is no threat to Varun Gandhi from terrorists. This news about the threat to him is wrong. Election Commission had given permission to transfer from Pilibhit jail to Etah jail," said UP Director General of Police Vikram Singh clarified.

However, in Karnataka police arrested five alleged members of the Chhota Shakeel gang in Mangalore claiming they were planning to kill Varun and Sri Ram Sene chief Pramod Muthalik,

Sources also claimed targeting Varun and Muthalik was part of a larger plot to communally polarise India ahead of elections

Varun's security was increased on March 28 after the Intelligence Bureau intercepted calls reportedly made by gangster Chhota Shakeel directing his sharpshooters to target him.

On the other hand the BJP has been blaming the Congress and the Bhaujan Samaj Party (BSP) for unnecessarily slapping the National Security Act on Varun. The party has also dememded more security for Varun.

“The responsibility of security of Varun rests with the UPA (United progressive Alliance) and BSP. If anything happens they will beheld responsible. I always say soft line on terrorist and hotline on nationalist… these are the policies of pseudo secularist UPA, BSP, Left and SP (Samajwadi Party)," said senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu.

But Etah Jail Superintendent Virash Raj Sharma claimed that there is adequate security at the jail to deal with any eventuality.

"We have deployed extra forces but the problem is the people who are coming to meet him. The public is coming and they have been identified as BJP workers. There were about 500 people with Maneka Gandhi. I tried to push them out and we allowed only three people inside," said Sharma.

Sharma was also injured his right hand during the scuffle with BJP supporters outside the jail.