Sants receive threat calls over Kairana 'exodus' report

Three sants who visited Kairana as part of a fact-finding team complained of receiving threatening calls on their way back home in Ghaziabad, police said on Saturday.

The three sants, Pramod Krishnam, Swami Chakrapani and Kalyan Dev, who were returning by Shatabdi Express from Lucknow on Friday night after submitting a report on Kairana "exodus" to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, lodged a complaint in Kotwali police station.

Pramod Krishanam said in the complaint that at 5.27 p.m. Swami Kalyan Dev received a call on his mobile phone. The caller threatened to kill Dev for favouring Muslims. The caller identified himself as Ajay Yadav from Gorakhpur and said he was a follower of Yogi Adityanath.

The second time a call came on his phone, said Pramod Krishanam. The caller made the same threat to him also.

"We have registered the complaint under section 504 and 506 of IPC. The investigation has been assigned to SSI Pratap Singh. The sants were escorted to their residences," said Salman Taj Patil, the SP City Ghaziabad.

The five-member fact-finding team has contradicted the Bharatiya Janata Party's claim of an exodus of Hindu families from western Uttar Pradesh's Kairana but reported an atmosphere of fear in the town because of criminals.

--IANS

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