Youth held Vaishali after seen in video threatening to kill union minister

The video clip shows four youths interacting with each other. The youth purportedly claims to have taken a contract for killing Rai and talks about posing as a bull carrier in the procession and opening fire at the minister.

The Vaishali police Tuesday arrested a man for allegedly threatening to kill union minister and BJP leader Nityanand Rai after a video clip, purportedly showing him making the threat, began circulating on social media.

Union minister Nityanand Rai. (HT Photo)

According to Kumar Manish, Vaishali’s superintendent of police, Madhav Kumar Jha (28) was arrested from Sanchi-Patti locality of Hajipur town early in the morning.

Rai, union minister of state for home, is scheduled to take part in a procession here on the occasion of Mahashivratri February 18.

“In the video clip, Jha claims he had dreams of killing the minister. Further investigation is underway,” the SP said.

The video clip shows four youths interacting with each other. Jha purportedly claims to have taken a contract for killing Rai and talks about posing as a bull carrier in the procession and opening fire at the minister.

“For the past three years, I have been dreaming of killing Nityanand Rai on Mahashivratri,” Jha is purportedly heard saying in the video clip even as other youths ask him to avoid saying anything on this matter.

HT has not verified the authenticity of the video clip.

After the video began circulating on social media, a few BJP workers lodged a complaint with the Town police station in Hajipur, police said.

According to police, Jha told them during interrogation that he was just boasting before his friends.

Rai had represented the Hajipur assembly seat, named after the eponymous town where Vaishali is headquartered, many times. He is now serving his second term in the Lok Sabha from Ujiyarpur, a part of which falls under Vaishali district.