Jaipur, March 26 Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa received a death threat here on Wednesday, the police said.
An unidentified man called the Jaipur Police Control Room and issued the threat.
The duty officer immediately informed senior police officers about the incident.
Upon investigation, the call was traced to a mobile phone located inside the Jaipur Central Jail. Following this, the East District Police and Line Force, in coordination with the Jail Department, launched a search operation inside the prison.
Rajasthan Leader of Opposition (LoP) and Congress leader, Tika Ram Jully, has said, "It is deeply concerning that the Deputy Chief Minister of the state, Prem Chand Bairwa, has received a death threat from Jaipur Central Jail. Following the earlier threat to Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, this latest incident once again highlights the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. When senior public representatives are receiving threats from behind the jail, it raises serious concerns about the safety of the common people."
LoP Jully also added: "The matter is grave and demands immediate attention. Criminals operating from within jails with such impunity indicate a major security lapse. How are inmates gaining access to mobile phones? Who is facilitating these breaches? A thorough and urgent investigation is needed to address these critical issues."
This is not the first such incident.
Earlier, on the night of February 21, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma also received a death threat.
The call originated from the Dausa Jail, where an inmate convicted under the POCSO Act made two threatening calls to the Jaipur Police Control Room within a span of 10 minutes, between 12:45 and 12:55 a.m.
Additionally, on July 27, 2024, another threat call was made from Shyalawas Jail targeting CM Sharma.
In response, the Jaipur Police conducted a special search operation inside the prison, seizing multiple mobile phones.
A case was registered at the Papada police station against the prisoner involved, and another individual attempting to smuggle a SIM card into the jail was arrested.
Authorities are now intensifying surveillance measures inside jails to prevent such security breaches.
In the aftermath of the 2024 July incident, the jail administration took strict action, suspending three officials -- Acting Jail Superintendent Kailash Daroga, Jailer Bihari Lal, and chief guard Awadhesh Kumar -- for negligence.
This was not the first such incident.
Around 13 months earlier, in January 2024, a prisoner convicted under the POCSO Act and serving a five-year sentence in Jaipur Central Jail had also threatened to shoot the Chief Minister.
The call was abruptly disconnected, and the mobile phone used in the threat was switched off.
A police investigation using technical surveillance led to the identification of the accused, and further searches in the jail resulted in the seizure of multiple mobile phones.
Authorities are now tightening security measures inside prisons to curb such recurring threats.
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