Mandal Murmu, one of the proposers of Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren’s nomination from the Barhait Assembly constituency, received a life threat on social media after joining the BJP, following which one person was detained on Wednesday, police said.

Murmu, a descendant of brothers Sido Murmu and Kanhu Murmu who had led the Santhal revolt of 1855, joined the BJP in Deoghar on Sunday in the presence of Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

“Murmu was allegedly given a life threat on a social media platform. We have detained a person in this regard and interrogation is underway,” Dumka superintendent of police (SP) Pitambar Singh Kherwar told PTI.

Sahibganj deputy commissioner (DC) Hemant Sati said: “As soon as we received the information of the threat, we traced the location of the person. It was found that he belongs to Dumka district. We immediately informed the Dumka police.”

He said security has also been provided to Murmu, a resident of Sahibganj district.

Earlier, former Jharkhand chief minister Champai Soren had urged the state police to take strict action against the person issuing the threat and ensure the safety of Murmu’s family.

“This is the lowest level of politics. Such threats cannot be ignored. @JharkhandPolice @sahibganjpolic2 is requested to take strict action against such people with criminal mentality. @ceojharkhand @dc_sahibganj please arrange for the safety of the family of Mandal Murmu,” he posted on X.

Addressing a public meeting in support of the JMM candidate Ganesh Mahali, who was pitted against former chief minister Champai Soren of the BJP in Seraikela assembly seat, Hemant Soren on Wednesday said that displacement on the pretext of industrialisation or mining in Jharkhand would not be allowed unless the government frames a policy to ensure the volume of jobs to be given to locals.

He claimed that tribals owned majority of land in the state and the policies framed by the BJP government were aimed to grab their land.