Bikram Sau, a jhalmuri vendor from Jhargram in West Bengal, alleged that he has been receiving repeated death threats from phone numbers linked to Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Sau gained nationwide attention after Prime Minister Narendra Modi stopped at his roadside stall during the Bengal Assembly election campaign on April 19 and sampled the local snack.
Sau said callers threatened to blow him up with a bomb and used abusive language. He claimed one caller from Bangladesh asked whether he was alive. The vendor reported the matter to the police, who have launched an investigation.
Following PM Modi’s visit, Sau’s stall witnessed a surge in customers, with long queues forming outside. The incident became a political talking point, with BJP workers using jhalmuri at rallies and celebrations. Modi himself referred to the episode in campaign speeches, saying, “I ate jhalmuri, but TMC felt the jhal (spice).”
Sau expressed concern for his family’s safety and urged authorities to act against the harassment. The threats have cast a shadow over what had been a moment of pride for the vendor, whose stall became symbolic during the election campaign.
