BHOPAL: The 2014 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Lokesh Jangid, whose leaked chats over social media have caused ripples in the power corridors of BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, has now written to the state DGP fearing for his safety and that of his family.
In a letter mailed to the MP DGP Vivek Johri on Friday, the young bureaucrat wrote about having received a call on the Signal messaging service app from an unknown number at 11.30 pm on Thursday.
He mentioned that the unknown caller threatened him for talking to media and asked him to proceed on six months leave, if he cared for his and his son's life. "The caller asked me to stop talking to media, failing which me and my family would be in danger," Jangid told The New Indian Express, while confirming about writing to the state DGP for personal security.
In the letter to the DGP, the bureaucrat has requested police security for his family at his rented accomodation in Bhopal and two PSOs for him while he is on official duties.
While no security has been rendered to Jangid by the state police after his request to the DGP, the Bhopal police has started investigating the alleged telephonic threat to him.
"Though I haven't been provided security, the Bhopal Police's cyber cell have started a probe into the Thursday late night threat call to me. The Bhopal cyber cell deputy SP Neetu Singh Thakur has secured from me all information related to the threat call on Friday," Jangid said on Friday.
Meanwhile, despite a phone call and message, the state DGP Vivek Johri couldn't be contacted by The New Indian Express over what action has been taken by the state police on the IAS officer's request for security in the wake of the alleged threat call.
On Wednesday, a series of chats made by Jangid on a closed private group of MP cadre IAS officers recently, which got leaked in the social media, had created ripples in the power corridors of MP.
In the leaked chats, Jangid blamed his intolerance to rampant corruption being behind his eight administrative postings/transfers in 54 months, including the recent transfer from the post of Barwani district additional collector to the post of additional mission director of Rajya Shiksha Kendra in Bhopal.
In the chats, he had alleged that he was proving an obstacle to present Barwani district collector in making money, which is why he was transferred to Rajya Shiksha Kendra in Bhopal within 40 days tenure as Barwani additional district collector.
While expressing ignorance about how the private IAS officers closed group chats got leaked, Jangid had confirmed to The New Indian Express on Wednesday about having requested to the central government via the MP chief secretary for three-years inter cadre deputation to his home state Maharashtra for taking care of his ailing grandfather and widowed mother.
On Wednesday, the MP government had issued a show cause notice to Jangid for indiscipline and violation of civil service conduct rules, including taping his telephonic conversation with a senior woman bureaucrat and subsequently making the taped conversation viral.