Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Chirag Paswan has received an unsigned threat note, claimed his brother-in-law and LJP (Ram Vilas) Jamui MP Arun Bharti.

According to a letter sent by Paswan’s Additional Private Secretary Alok Kumar Singh to the Union Home Secretary on Tuesday, the threat note, received in the ministry, contained two mobile numbers and allegedly carried a direct threat to Paswan’s life. The communication allegedly read: “You will be killed shortly by hardcore terrorists.”

Singh, in the letter, said the message was a matter of “grave concern” and raised “serious apprehensions” about the minister’s safety and security. Paswan is currently under Z-category security cover provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The minister’s office has sought an urgent and thorough investigation into the origin, authenticity and circumstances of the communication. It has also requested that Paswan’s security arrangements be reviewed and suitably augmented, if necessary, citing the reported threat perception and his scheduled public engagements.