'Will Not Be Bullied': TMC's Saayoni Ghosh Reacts After UP BJP Leader Declares Rs 1 Crore Bounty On Her 'Severed Head'

TMC MP Saayoni Ghosh on Tuesday said that she received an "open death threat" after Pradeep Dixit, the chairman of Sikandrabad Nagar Palika in Uttar Pradesh and a BJP leader, allegedly announced a Rs 1 crore "reward" for anyone who brings her severed head.

"Whoever brings Saayoni Ghosh’s severed head will be given a reward of ₹1 crore," Dixit could be heard saying in a video that has since gone viral on social media.

He did not deny making the controversial remark. Condemning the remarks, Ghosh described it as a direct threat to her life and demanded swift action against the BJP leader.

In a post on X, she said, "I am taken aback to see a public announcement offering a Rs 1 crore reward for my beheading, issued by none other than a Nagar Palika Chairman and BJP leader from Sikandrabad, UP. This threat is circulating widely across social media platforms and has been reported in the mainstream media."

She tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in her post, seeking action.

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The TMC MP further cornered the BJP leadership over the women's safety issue, saying that an elected woman representative was facing "an open death threat" from a member of the ruling party.

"Is declaring a bounty to behead a woman, a sitting Member of Parliament — issued by a BJP public representative in a BJP-ruled state — the true idea of 'Nari Shakti Vandan' in New Bharat?” she asked.

She also appealed to the West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh police to initiate immediate legal proceedings against Dixit.

"I want to thank all my well-wishers who have expressed concern for my safety. Rest assured, I will continue to exercise my democratic right to be a voice of dissent both inside and outside Parliament, and I will not be bullied into silence," she further added.

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Why did the controversy erupt?

The issue traces back to a derogatory and controversial 'Shivalinga' social media post from her account in 2015, which resurfaced again in 2021 and later during the recent West Bengal Assembly elections. An FIR had earlier been registered against her in connection with the post.

However, Ghosh has consistently maintained that her account was hacked in 2015 and that the controversial image had been uploaded by the hackers. She has claimed that the image was taken down when the access was restored.