Secret letter discussing plot to kill Modi found

Aletter discussing a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a “Rajiv Gandhilike incident” has been found at the house of a person arrested over links with Communist Party of India (Maoist), Pune police informed a court yesterday.

“Pune Police have intercepted an internal communication by the Maoists, in which it has been revealed that they were planning a ‘Rajiv Gandhi-type’ assassination of PM Modi. The police recovered a pen drive, a hard disk and some other incriminating documents from the house of one of the five people arrested on Wednesday for links with banned CPI-Maoist,” Pune Joint Commissioner of Police (CP) Ravindra Kadam told journalists.

The arrested persons are Dalit activist Sudhir Dhawale, lawyer Surendra Gadling, suspected Maoists Mahesh Raut, Shoma Sen and Rona Wilson. The letter was recovered from the house of Wilson, a member of the Committee for Release of Political Prisoners.

Money needed

Public prosecutor Ujjwala Pawar told the court that the letter talked about the urgent need for Rs80 million (Dh4.3 million) to procure M-4 rifles and 400,000 rounds of ammunition.

“We are thinking along the lines of another Rajiv Gandhi-type incident. It sounds suicidal and there is a chance that we might fail but party must deliberate on our proposal,” Pawar quoted the letter as saying.

“Modi has successfully established Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments in more than 15 states. If this pace continues it would mean immense trouble for the party. Comrade Kisan and a few other senior comrades have proposed concrete steps to end the Modiera,” the letter read.