PUNE: A city-based businessman, Tehseen Poonawalla, has alleged that he has received a threat on his Facebook page from the Pune unit of the Shiv Sena for planning an Indo-Pakistan food festival on November 7.

Poonawalla told TOI on Tuesday that Pakistani chefs were to come to Pune for the festival. "But the Shiv Sena’s threat on my FB page has intimidated them," he said, adding that the chefs have now demanded a written assurance from the state government that they would not be harmed once they are in Pune.

The threat came from the FB account of Amar Bhosale , brother of Sena's Pune unit president Ajay Bhosale.

When contacted, Ajay Bhosale confirmed that his brother had posted on Poonawalla's Facebook wall. "We are against this Indo-Pakistan festival. We will protest against it. Also, Tehseen has put some updates on FB which hurt our religious sentiments. We will follow up this matter with the cyber crime department," he said.

The message stamped on Poonawalla's picture on his wall reads: "Open challenge!! Open challenge!! To Tehseen for doing Pakistan food festival & Ghulam Ali show in Pune 7th Nov, Shiv Sena Pune."

"I had planned to hold the festival as I thought an event like this has never been held in the city. Unfortunately, the prevailing atmosphere in the state as well as the threat addressed to me on FB made our venue sponsor, a reputed hotel in the city, back out," said Poonawalla.

Poonawalla claimed that the venue for the festival had already been booked. "But no matter what the hurdles, I will organize the Indo-Pak food festival in Pune before the year end," he said, adding that he would be inviting Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali for a music show as part of the festival.