Devendra Fadnavis issues 1st response on threats to CM Eknath Shinde, confirms one arrest

Breaking his silence on the threats to Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis revealed that one person has been taken into custody. Speaking to the media in Nagpur on Monday, he asserted that the Home Department has taken cognizance of all threats to Shinde's life. A day earlier, sources revealed that Fadnavis who holds the Home portfolio gave instructions to beef up the CM's security and asked the DGP, Mumbai Police Commissioner, and Commissioner Intelligence to constitute a high-level team. 

Devendra Fadnavis remarked, "We have taken cognizance of all threats. We are paying attention to his security and all other aspects. The person who gave the threat yesterday has been arrested. But because the Chief Minister's security is important, we are paying full attention to it."

Threats to Eknath Shinde's life

A day earlier, a non-cognizable offence was registered against a man named Avinash Waghmare for calling up the police control room claiming a "plot" to kill Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde at a hotel in Lonavala in the Pune district. However, it turned out to be a false alarm as Waghmare admitted that he was drunk when he made the call. The probe revealed that he wanted to get back at the hotelier with whom he had quarreled for being overcharged for a bottle of water. As a result, Waghmare was booked under IPC Section 177 (knowingly furnishing false information to a public servant).

Last October, Shinde received a threat letter from Maoists when he was the Urban Development Minister in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Cabinet and the guardian minister of the Gadchiroli district. State Intelligence Commissioner Ashutosh Dumbre told PTI on Sunday that additional security has been provided to the CM, who already enjoys a Z plus security cover. Moreover,  security has been stepped up at Shinde's private residence in Thane and the official residence 'Varsha' in Mumbai.

Commenting on the threats, the Maharashtra CM stated, "I don't pay attention to it. Our Home department and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis are capable and we trust them. I won't be scared of such threats, nobody can stop me from working for the public. I will continue to work for them."