According to media reports, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India received an anonymous letter on Tuesday, claiming that the Indian national cricket team, and particularly its captain Virat Kohli, as well as eminent Indian leaders including President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Home Minister Amit Shah, were on a terror-hit list.
Among other Indian political leaders mentioned in the threat, the letter includes the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) working President J.P. Nadda, senior leader Lal Krishna Advani, and its parental organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat.
The anonymous letter further states that the terror group All India Lashkar – based out of the coastal city of Kozhikode in India's southern state of Kerala, might be responsible for targeting the Indian leaders.
The terror group is part of the Pakistan-based terror organisation "Lashkar-e-Taiba" which is thought to have been involved in several terror acts in India, including; the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai Attack and the 2019 Pulwama Attack on the Indian security personnel in Jammu and Kashmir state.
Even though the authorities feel that the letter could be a hoax, Delhi Police have beefed up security arrangements in the national capital.
Taking necessary precautions, the letter has also been forwarded to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Neither Indian cricket team captain Kohli nor any other personality named in the letter has commented on the subject as of yet. Netizens, however, have reacted to the news on social media.
— Ashutosh Bhatia (@ashutitikshu) October 29, 2019
— Sanjeev Chadha (Equality ) (@sanjeevchadha8) October 29, 2019
— Virushka Forever ❣❣ (@DeviniYashodara) October 30, 2019
— Deepanshu Jindal (@deepanshu_mr) October 29, 2019
Team India is scheduled to play three T20 matches against its neighbour Bangladesh, followed by two Tests. The first 20-over cricket match is slated to be played between the two teams on 3 November in New Delhi
