Kerala Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala has alleged that he has been threatened by underworld gangster Ravi Poojary.

Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala on Monday filed a complaint with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, alleging that he had received phone calls threatening him and also a message, warning him against speaking ill of murder convict Muhammed Nisham.

According to Chennithala’s complaint – a copy of which has been accessed by the media – the threat message was sent in the name of gangster Ravi Poojary. The message threatened to kill him or one of his family members if he spoke ill of beedi tycoon Nisham.

“I have been receiving threat calls on my phone, made via the internet for the last two days. I received a message at 11.22pm on October 23 from a foreign number threatening to kill me or a member of my family,” Chennithala said in his complaint.

“Don’t talk rubbish about Mohommed Nirham or I will kill you or one of your family member-Don Ravi Pujari,” the message reads. Chennitala has attached a copy of the screenshot in his complaint.

Responding to the issue, Pinarayi Vijayan assured that probe will be ordered and said,

"I still do not understand why should you (Chennithala) be a target of Nisham. But now that this has been raised, the police will start a probe and necessary action will be taken." 

40-year-old Nisham, who is serving life imprisonment at Kannur Central Jail for the murder of security guard Chandrabose in 2015, had recently made headlines, after his brothers complained on Saturday that Nisham threatened them via phone call.

Following this, Kannur district Superintendent of Police ordered an enquiry. Nine policemen were suspended on Monday for allegedly helping Nisham make the phone call while he was being taken to Bengaluru for questioning related to another case.

It is also being reported that Nisham's brothers approached the police on Monday to withdraw their complaint.