MEERUT: Sikandrabad Nagar Palika chairman and BJP leader Dr Pradeep Dixit announced a Rs 1 crore reward for beheading Trinamool Congress’s Lok Sabha MP Saayoni Ghosh over an old social media post related to a Shivling, triggering a political row in Bulandshahr district. In a video of the protest circulating on social media, Dixit can be heard saying, “I worship Lord Shiva for one hour every day. The act committed by TMC MP Saayoni Ghosh has deeply hurt me. Whoever brings Saayoni Ghosh’s severed head will be given a reward of Rs 1 crore.”The remarks were made during a protest in Sikandrabad against what organisers described as insult to Hindu deities. A 3,100km foot march was also being taken out by Hindu organisations on the issue. Videos of Dixit’s speech and related posts circulated widely on social media soon after the event.
The controversy relates to a social post from Ghosh’s social media account in 2015, which resurfaced in 2021 and again during recent West Bengal elections. An FIR had earlier been registered against Ghosh over the post. Ghosh had clarified that her account was hacked in 2015 and the image was posted by the hacker. She said the post was deleted immediately after she regained access to her account.Bulandshahr Congress district president Ziaur Rahman criticised the statement and demanded police action against Dixit. “How can women feel safe if there are such people in the party? They are giving reward for killing a woman. This is shameful and senior party officials must take suitable action against him. We demand police register an FIR,” Rahman said.BJP district president Vikas Chauhan told TOI that Dixit’s remarks reflected his personal opinion and did not represent the party’s stance. He said BJP had always respected women and remained committed to protecting their dignity. “The party does not support such derogatory statements, even if made by any of its own members,” Chauhan said.Neither police nor district administration had issued an official statement till the filing of this report. However, a senior police officer aware of the matter said action would be taken if a complaint was received.
