An image of a purported letter issued by Home Minister Amit Shah is being shared on social media claiming that Amit Shah had directed Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to provide ‘Z’ category security to the former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. The purported letter stated Nupur Sharma as an icon promoting Rashtriya Swayamsevak ideology that will lead to the BJP’s goal of Hindu Rashtra. In the wake of the Government calling BJP’s spokesperson Nupur Sharma a fringe element over her controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammed, this post claims that the Home Minister had recommended ‘Z’ category security to Nupur Sharma although he and his government consider her as a fringe element. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Purported letter of Amit Shah directing Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to provide ‘Z’ category security to Nupur Sharma.
Fact: The letter shared in the post is a fake one. Amit Shah did not send any such letter to Pushkar Singh Dhami recommending a ‘Z’ category security to Nupur Sharma. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether Home Minister had sent any such letter to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, we could not find any such letter on the Ministry of Home Affairs website and on Amit Shah’s official social media handles. Swati Goel Sharma, a journalist of the ‘Swarajya’ news website had tweeted the image of the same letter and reported that Congress leader Nagma Morarji had tweeted a fake letter attributing it to Amit Shah.
When we searched for further sources, we found that the Press Information Bureau (PIB) had issued a clarification regarding this purported letter circulating on social media. PIB through a tweet clarified that the purported letter is fake and informed that Home Minister Amit Shah had not issued any such letter to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. Reporting the facts of this letter, several news websites published articles. They can be seen here and here.
A few original letters issued by Home Minister Amit Shah can be seen here, here and here. Amid the death and rape threats to Nupur Sharma over her comments on Prophet Muhammed, on 07 June 2022, Delhi Police granted police security for Nupur Sharma. It is nowhere reported that Nupur Sharma was provided with a ‘Z’ category security following a recommendation from Home Minister Amit Shah.
To sum it up, this purported letter of Amit Shah recommending a ‘Z’ level security to Nupur Sharma is a fake one.
