Chirag Paswan gets death threat, seeks action

Union minister Chirag Paswan received a death threat on Tuesday, according to his office. The threat claimed that he will be killed by terrorists, a claim the office has briefed to the Union home secretary for a thorough investigation. The threatening message, received from an unsigned communication, read, "You will be killed shortly by hardcore terrorists."

Paswan, a Z-category VIP protectee, is safeguarded by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). His office has requested an enhanced security review and augmented security, given the threat perception.

This comes amid Paswan's demand for the resignation of Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) founder and Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, and his son Bihar minister Santosh Kumar Suman. The demand follows their advocacy for a review of scheduled caste (SC) reservation, specifically calling for the introduction of sub-categorisation. Paswan and his son argue that this would ensure the welfare benefits reach the least privileged among the Dalits.

Manjhi, however, backs the idea, framing it as social justice and citing the Supreme Court's 2024 judgment permitting sub-classifications based on empirical data. Paswan, echoing his late father Ram Vilas Paswan's stance, maintains that the call for sub-categorisation is in the broader interests of Dalits, particularly those who are relatively more vulnerable.