The April 14 firing outside Salman Khan's Galaxy Apartment in Bandra has once again brought back into focus Lawrence Bishnoi's repeated threats issued to the actor. The gangster had claimed that he is behind Khan's life due to the latter's alleged involvement in the blackbuck poaching case, which occurred in 1998 during the filming of 'Hum Saath Saath Hain' in Rajasthan. The Bishnoi community considers blackbuck a sacred animal.
It was in 2018 when Lawrence swore to kill Khan and the former's aide even reportedly conducted reconnaissance of the actor's residence. While being transported to a Jodhpur court for his alleged involvement in an extortion case, the gangster pledged to kill Khan in Jodhpur. However, there was a lull in the next four years.
In June 2022, Lawrence's acrimony once again caught up with Khan and his father Salim. A threat letter was discovered at Bandstand where Salim, a noted writer, went for walks. The letter referenced the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala by a Bishnoi gang and threatened Khan with a similar fate. Worried, the actor met then Mumbai police chief Vivek Phansalkar to seek a weapon license for his protection, which was granted. Months later, Khan's increased his security by acquiring a bulletproof Toyota Land Cruiser, whose worth was estimated to be a whopping Rs1.5 crore.
During the same time, the government upgraded his security from X to Y+ category following a fresh threat from Lawrence. In X category security, there's just one gunman, but in the Y+ category, there are two policemen for mobile security and one (plus four rotating) for residence security. Accordingly, two armed guards were deployed for round the clock security of the actor known for his cop role of 'Chulbul Pandey'. Additionally, other two guards were stationed at his residence 24/7.
However, the vicious cycle of threats continued to haunt Khan, who received death warnings via email in April 2023. The mail urged the actor to speak “face to face” with Goldy Brar (a Canada-based gangster and Bishnoi's associate) to settle the score. The mail, sent by one Mohit Garg, also alluded to threats issued by Lawrence from Tihar jail. Subsequently, a case was filed against the gangster, Brar and Garg.
Enhancing his safety, Khan purchased yet another bulletproof vehicle – a high-end SUV which was not available in the Indian market hence it was imported from Dubai. The video of the car, which costs approx Rs1 crore, had gone viral. Speculation was rife that the authorities advised Salman to move out from the Galaxy Apartment to a safer area, but neither Khan's family nor the officials confirmed this. However, the fear-mongering forced Khan to alter his lifestyle. An ardent cyclist, he stopped going on bicycle rides. Despite all the security measures, the 'Dabangg' actor was taken aback when two bike-borne men fired five rounds outside his residence at the behest of the Bishnoi gang. Surprisingly, not a single constable was present at the spot when the incident took place.
In a knee-jerk reaction, Khan's security was once again beefed up. Previously, he had two each police support officers (PSO), commandos, escort vehicles, and 11 cops under the Y+ security. Now, three more cops and an additional PSO have been deployed. Speaking during an interview given to a news channel a year ago, Khan shared how it felt like constantly living under the security gaze. “Security is better than insecurity. People face inconvenience and and give me angry looks due to my security vehicles. I believe in God, but I do not leave everything to God. Now I have many Sheras (his bodyguard) with weapons.” Quoting a dialogue from his movie 'Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan', the actor said, “They (apparently the Bishnoi gang) have to be lucky a hundred times, I have to be lucky once.”
