Indian American lawyer Ravinder Singh Bhalla has acknowledge of facing death threats after an unidentified man left a bag in his office. Three months ago, he was elected as the first Sikh mayor of Hoboken city in New Jersey.
According to a statement from the the Hoboken City Council, “A male individual entered City Hall through the Newark Street entrance just before 8 pm on Thursday, February 15, 2018. The person went through metal detectors and told security officers that he was going to use the restroom. At the time, the only person in the mayor’s office was deputy chief of staff Jason Freeman.
Mayor Bhalla was on his way to the office following a community meeting. From his office, Mr Freeman observed that a bag with an object had been thrown in the direction of the administrative assistant’s desk and made eye contact with the individual. The individual then ran out of the mayor’s office. Mr Freeman called the police, which are currently investigating the incident,” added the statement.
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Bhalla was linked with “terrorism” before election through slanderous flyer on which these lines were printed, “Don’t let TERRORISM take over our town” was printed above Bhalla’s photograph. This created a conflict of interest.
Hoboken police department has taken the incident seriously and the Joint Terrorism Task Force has also evaluated the city hall. A statement on the official website of the Hoboken City Council quoted Bhalla disclosing death threats to him and his family.
“This incident, along with death threats to me and my family, is an unfortunate reminder that we need to take security seriously,” Bhalla said.
“The Joint Terrorism Task Force has evaluated City Hall, and we have been working to implement their recommendations for physical and procedural changes to improve security for all employees in the building,” he added.
“We take incidents like these incredibly seriously and will continue working to ensure the security of the mayor and everyone who visits City Hall,” said Hoboken police chief Kenneth Ferrante.
