Minorities commission sends notice to police over threat to Shabnam Hashmi

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Minorities Commission has issued a notice to the national capital’s police over the death threat received by social activist Shabnam Hashmi from a man posing as a police official.

The Delhi Police has already arrested a man in connection with the case after Hashmi reported the matter to the Commissioner.

The newly-appointed chairman of Delhi Minorities Commission, Zafarul Islam Khan, confirmed the notice to Delhi Police in connection with the threat received by Hashmi.

He also said a forensic test was needed to pinpoint the man who threatened Hashmi over phone.

“I have issued a notice to the Delhi Police, through the Commissioner of Police, for a fair investigation into Shabnam Hashmi’s matter,” he said.

Hashmi, founder of the NGO Pehchan, had complained to the Delhi police commissioner Amulya Patnaik that the man who threatened her identified himself as sub-inspector Sandeep Malik from the Lajpat Nagar police station.

Police said the man they arrested was in the habit of calling women after consuming alcohol.

As reported by Janta Ka Reporter, Hashmi had called on a number provided by a woman who attended the sewing class run by the activist’s NGO, on July 14.

The woman’s auto rickshaw driver husband Mohammad Haseen had got a call from the number asking him to appear at the Lajpat Nagar police station.

Hashmi said that when she called on the given number to know the reason for summoning Haseen, but was met with abuses from the other side. She also said that she was threatened to be killed in an “encounter”. The call was recorded by her.

The Minorities Commission chairman said “(It needs to be ascertained) if the arrested man is the real accused. Only a forensic test will reveal whether it was him who threatened Hashmi or it was someone else.”

PTI