Actor Abhinav Shukla has allegedly received a chilling death threat from a social media user claiming to be associated with gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang. The threat comes in the wake of a verbal altercation between Abhinav’s wife, Rubina Dilaik, and rapper-actor Asim Riaz on the reality series 'Battleground'. The unsettling message referred to the recent firing incident at Salman Khan’s home and warned of a similar fate for Abhinav.
Rubina and Abhinav share screenshot of threatening messages
Rubina, clearly outraged by the situation, took to Instagram to speak out. Sharing a screenshot of one of the threatening messages—allegedly sent by a fan of Asim Riaz—she wrote in a strongly-worded post: “My silence is not my weakness! Don’t test my patience.”
Abhinav, too, raised the alarm by posting screenshots on his X (formerly Twitter) handle. One such message, reportedly sent via Instagram by a user named Ankush Gupta, read in Hindi: “I’m from Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang. I know your address. Should I come over? Just like Salman Khan was shot at, I’ll come to your house and shoot you with an AK-47. This is your final warning. Say anything about Asim, and your name goes on the list. Lawrence Bishnoi stands with Asim.”
Alongside the screenshot, Abhinav commented, “All this for a disagreement on a show.”
Asim Riaz's exit from Battleground and his response
The incident appears to have been sparked by tensions between Rubina and Asim on 'Battleground', the MX Player reality series where both serve as judges alongside Rajat Dalal and Abhishek Malhan. Reports suggest that Asim’s conduct led to friction with multiple co-judges and ultimately his removal from the show.
However, Asim Riaz has responded to the reports of being ousted. In a recent post on X, he wrote, “Paid media ain’t got a spine, just a rate card. They print what they’re told, I move when I decide. Keep shouting ‘kicked out’, I kicked the script and flipped the game. Next headline? Make it count.”
Paid media ain’t got a spine, just a rate card. They print what they’re told, I move when I decide. Keep shouting ‘kicked out’ , i kicked the script and flipped the game. Next headline? Make it count.
— Asim Riaz (@imrealasim) April 19, 2025
MX Player and the producers of 'Battleground' have yet to issue an official statement.
