By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Pune: A couple of days after filing an FIR against two BJP members for issuing threat for making remarks against PM Narendra Modi, well-known Marathi author Dr. Shripal Sabnis has now claimed receiving a second threat.
Sabnis said Sanatan Sanstha lawyer Sanjiv Poonalekar tweeted: “Tumhi sakali morning walk la ja, Shripal Sabnis… (Go for a morning walk, Shripal Sabnis).”
The advice from Poonalekar apparently refers to the killing of rationalists Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar, alleges Sabnis. Both these rationalists were killed when they were out for a morning walk. Unidentified gunmen killed Dabholkar in August 2013 in Pune, while Pansare was shot in Kolhapur in February 2015.
Interestingly, Poonalekar is representing prime accused Sameer Gaikwad in the Govind Pansare murder case in Kolhapur. Gaikwad is an active member of Sanatan Sanstha that is providing legal aid to defend him, alleging that police has implicated him in the case.
However, Sanatan Sanstha has distanced itself from the purported tweet of Poonalekar saying it is his personal views.
Speaking with the media, Sabnis said, “This is a direct threat to my life. I have already conveyed this to police through the lone security personnel assigned to me.”
Terming the tweet as “brazen”, he has also sought a strong action against Poonalekar and said, “They are out to silence voices of sanity. The society should see through their game and rise to put them in (their) place…They are now clearly targeting me because I vehemently oppose bad tendencies.”
Meanwhile, Poonalekar agreed with the tweet and said he was not going to delete it.
“I have done nothing wrong. The tweet is not a threat and therefore I will not delete it. But if people want to read motives into it, I don’t care. If anybody wants to take action against me, let them take action,” he said.