Police launch probe after NCP (SP) lawmaker gets death threats in Maharashtra

Jalgaon (Maharashtra): The Maharashtra Police have launched a probe into the alleged death threats from the mafia received by senior Nationalist Congress Party (SP) legislator Eknath Khadse, an official said here on Wednesday.

An unidentified caller dialed Khadse, a former BJP minister, and threatened him with ‘dire consequences’ after which he filed a complaint with the Muktainagar police, said an NCP (SP) worker.

The caller also dropped the names of absconding mafia don Dawood Ibrahim and his close associate Chhota Shakeel, both holed up in Pakistan.

The origins of the call, the antecedents of the caller, and other aspects are being probed by the police who have registered a case of non-cognisable offence, the party worker said.

The development came barely days after Khadse announced that he would rejoin the BJP after a fortnight.

He quit the BJP in October 2020 after a bitter spat with ex-Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is the current Deputy CM in the MahaYuti state government.

Nearly eight months after joining the (undivided) NCP headed by Sharad Pawar, Khadse was rewarded with an MLC seat in June 2022.

Incidentally, Khadse got the threat call days after two persons fired gunshots at the Bandra residence of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, rattling the film industry and political establishments.