BJP Rejects Resignation of Man Who Called for Deepika’s Beheading

Suraj Pal Amu had announced Rs 10 crore reward to anyone who beheaded Deepika Padukone & Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

(L) File photo of Suraj Pal Amu being sent to judicial custody. (R) Photo from Deepika Padukone’s ‘Padmaavat’.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Haryana unit has rejected the resignation of senior leader Suraj Pal Amu, who called for beheading actor Deepika Padukone during the Padmaavat controversy, reported ANI.

Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala reportedly refused to accept his resignation on Monday, 8 October, almost a year after he submitted it.

“For me, it is like coming back home.”

Suraj Pal Amu to ANI

"For around 29-30 years I have been at different posts in the party and its student wing. These 8 months were very tough for me to stay away from the party, however, I kept working in different social organisations. It is like a homecoming for me," Amu told ANI.

Amu’s Controversial Statement

In November 2017, Amu had announced a Rs 10 crore reward to anyone who beheaded actress Deepika Padukone and filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali for making Padmaavat. Alleging that the movie was disrespectful to the Rajput community, Amu also threatened to break the legs of actor Ranveer Singh, who plays the role of Alauddin Khilji in the film.

On 21 November, he was booked under Section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code on a complaint by Pawan Kumar, a fan of Deepika and Bhansali. After the case was registered, Amu dared the Haryana Police to arrest him. He said he stood firmly by his statement, whether or not he remained in the BJP.

In January 2018, after being granted bail in the case, Amu resigned from the primary membership of the party. He had resigned from his post of BJP's chief media coordinator for Haryana, in November 2017.