After FTII, Pune college receives threat letter and detonator

Savitribai Phule Pune University’s department of Communication and Journalism (DoCJ) received a parcel on Monday containing explosive substance and a threat letter with a warning to not invite Kanhaiya Kumar to the campus.

Savitribai Phule Pune University’s department of Communication and Journalism (DoCJ) received a parcel on Monday containing explosive substance and a threat letter with a warning to not invite Kanhaiya Kumar to the campus. A similar parcel was received by the Film and Television Institute of India recently.

Savitribai Phule Pune University’s department of Communication and Journalism (DoCJ) got a parcel similar to that received by the FTII recently.(Picture courtesy: Savitribai Phule Pune University website)

According to police, the parcel was addressed to head of DoCJ, Madhavi Reddy, and contained suspected explosive substance, a detonator and a threat letter cautioning her to ensure that Kanhaiya Kumar does not come to the campus.

Deputy commissioner of police, Sudhir Hiremath, said the parcel was delivered at the department on Saturday, the same day that FTII received the envelope. It came to Reddy’s notice on Monday, he said.

The campus where DoCJ is situated is known as Ranade Institute, situated on the busy Fergusson College road.

“The letter received by the journalism department has striking resemblance with the one received by FTII,” Hiremath told Hindustan Times.

According to Deccan police, where the FIR was filed, a probe has been launched to check if both parcels received by FTII and DoCJ have been sent by the same person.

Police probing the FTII letter said the explosive substance found in the parcel appears to be ammonium nitrate. Based on the investigation, police suspect that letter has been sent from Pune itself.

The letter, typed in English, says Kumar is speaking against the nation and that will not be tolerated. It then goes to on warn the institute against permitting Kanhaiya Kumar to visit the campus.

Last year, an envelope containing explosives and a letter was delivered to pro-Maratha outfit Sambhaji Brigade. The recent parcels have striking similarity with the one delivered at Sambhaji Brigade’s office, according to police.

Last month, ahead of Kanhaiya Kumar’s visit to Pune, students of the journalism department had invited him to their campus.