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Delhi HC directs police to conduct security threat assessment of Congress spokesperson Udit Raj

Former Congress MP Udit Raj told the Delhi High Court that he had been receiving threats from BSP chief Mayawati’s supporters after his scathing attack on her at a press conference.

Udit-Raj-Mayawati-DelhiOn February 17, Raj had launched a scathing attack on Mayawati and said that she had “strangled the social movement” and now the “time has come to strangle her”. (File Photo)

The Delhi High Court on Friday directed the Delhi Police to conduct a threat assessment of former Congress MP Udit Raj, the national spokesperson for the party, and also directed the beat officer to make daily calls to him “at least for the next two months”.

Raj moved the Delhi High Court seeking direction to provide him with adequate security cover, citing threats following a press conference in Lucknow in February where he made statements against former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati.

On February 17, Raj had launched a scathing attack on Mayawati and said that she had “strangled the social movement” and now the “time has come to strangle her”. He later clarified that he meant that people should recognise her patterns and leave her. Days later, Raj filed a police complaint alleging that BSP workers had been threatening to kill him at Mayawati’s behest.

On Friday, Raj told Justice Ravinder Dudeja that following his press conference statement, he has been receiving threats from her supporters, including a threat that his throat would be slit.

Noting that “it is the responsibility of the state to ensure safety and security of all citizens and this court is expected to further the constitutional rights of the citizens,” Justice Dudeja directed the Delhi Police to “make an assessment of the security threat and take adequate measures for petitioner safety and security”.

Meanwhile, the court instructed that the jurisdictional police, the North Avenue police station house officer, and the beat officer be instructed to “keep strict vigil” and that their numbers be shared with Raj. The court also instructed that the beat officer be directed to call Raj every day before 7 pm “at least for the next two months”.

Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More

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