Bihar MP from Purnea Rajesh Ranjan, popularly known as Pappu Yadav, has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, requesting enhanced security following a "threatening call" from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
Copies of Yadav’s two-page letter to Shah have also been marked to the chief minister of Bihar and other top officials in the state.
The letter, dated October 21, was made public on Monday when a section of the media played an audio clip of the call from a purported aide of Bishnoi "made from a Dubai number".
In addition to requesting an upgrade of his security cover from 'Y' to 'Z', Yadav also demanded a police escort at all functions he attends across Bihar. He warned that if he is murdered, the blame will fall on both the Centre and the state government.
Meanwhile, Purnea SP Kartikeya Sharma said, "We have come to know about the MP's charge through the media. We are looking into it, and also ensuring that arrangements are made for his safety in accordance with his ‘Y plus’ security cover".
Yadav, a gangster-turned-politician, claimed that the caller was upset over his social media outbursts against Bishnoi, who is lodged in a Gujarat jail.
After the assassination of NCP leader Baba Siddiqui in Mumbai, Yadav had declared on X that "if permitted by law", he would "finish off within 24 hours the entire network" of Bishnoi, who is alleged to have been behind the killing.
A few days later, he twisted the knife by expressing solidarity with Bollywood actor Salman Khan, who is in the cross hairs of Bishnoi over killing of blackbucks, which are held sacred by the community to which the jailed gangster belongs.