Bikram Sau – some reports have him as Bikram Saw – is the one at the centre of it. The roadside seller says that in the last few days, he has been pestered with phone and video calls from people he doesn’t know. They’ve used foul language, told him they’ll kill him, and even threatened to put his shop in the air.
One video call, he claims, showed men with weapons. “It has my family up at night,” he says. And with the word getting out past the market lane where he does business, you can feel the tension in the area.
Here are the key allegations he has described:
– Calls claimed to be from Pakistan and Bangladesh
– Threats to blow up the jhalmuri shop
– Abusive language during repeated calls
– Weapons shown during a video call
Police action and local anxiety
Sau has put in a complaint with the local police, laying out the details and the numbers. They are on to it, though there’s no word from them yet.
From snack stall to political flashpoint
It was only a matter of time before things got complicated. When Narendra Modi made a pit stop at his stall during the West Bengal election drive, the little snack counter became something of a story in its own right. What was supposed to be a nice moment for a small-time vendor has since become a political talking point in the lead-up to the Assembly polls.
What the PM’s post changed
The Prime Minister put it on X (formerly Twitter) after a busy Sunday of four rallies: ‘In between… had some delicious jhalmuri in Jhargram.’ The photos and a 40-odd second clip of the encounter went viral. For a small shop, that kind of exposure is usually a good thing. Not in this instance, according to Sau.
Now, with the news of the overseas numbers, the worry is palpable. In a place like this, where your livelihood is in the hands of the person walking in off the street, even a hint of trouble can put a damper on trade. His neighbours are just waiting for some sign that things will go back to the way they were.
It’s a case in point of how a bit of campaign visibility can upend a normal life, particularly when the mood is so divided. The threats, if true, are more than a private matter; they rattle the whole marketplace.
Why it matters and what comes next
For the time being, it’s in the hands of the investigators. Sau and his kin are left to their worries, in the hope that the probe will put an end to it. But until the police say otherwise, the fame he never asked for means he has to be on guard, even over a simple bowl of jhalmuri.
