FOR reasons best known to himself, swashbuckling Indian cricket captain and Ricky Ponting nemesis MS Dhoni wants to pack a 9mm pistol. But in seeking the licence that will allow him to do so, Dhoni hasstirred outrage - not against himself, but against officialdom that demands he produce a character reference, known as a swachchhata praman patra, to prove that he is a fit and proper person to be allowed to carry a lethal weapon.

The upshot of this was rioting last night in several towns in Dhoni's home state of Jharkhand, with cricket fans furious over what they regard as an "insult" to the man who, these days, is regarded as India's foremost national hero, referred to in one newspaper headline yesterday as Barack Singh Dhoni.

"A great son of India has been insulted by this demand for a character reference ... it is an outrage," the demonstrators chanted as they burned an effigy of the local magistrate in Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, who has allegedly been "sitting on" the Dhoni permit application for three months and is now demanding the character reference.

A Dhoni fan told Indian reporters: "This is our hero. He has just led us to a great victory over the Australians. Now they are demanding a character reference before they will give him his licence."

Adding fuel to the fire, it was disclosed that the magistrate handling his application, Sheela Kisku Rapaz, had written to the India captain telling him that because of "rising incidents of terrorism and crime" it was recommended that he get references from several local police bigwigs, including the head of the special branch and the criminal investigation department.

Rapaz, who seems to have been doing no more than the law requires her to do before she issues a licence for a prohibited weapon, apparently had in mind the reality that Jharkhand is a target of widespread attack by Maoist terrorists as well as criminal gangs. But for her efforts, she was being denounced by cricket-obsessed Indians across the country last night.

"It's a shame," Ranchi student Duryodhan Singh said. "In this state where criminals and extremists shoot innocent people all the time, a star like Dhoni must be given the licence to own a weapon of his choice. The commissioner (magistrate) has insulted him and all cricket lovers."

So why does Dhoni, who already enjoys so-called "Z" category official security in India similar to that accorded top politicians and which includes bodyguards and motorcades, want to pack a pistol? He isn't saying. Last night, he was silent on the subject as he awaited approval of his application.

Certainly, Jharkhand is regarded as a particularly lawless part of India. But the "Z" category of official security accorded him would be more than adequate to deal with most threats.

For some Indian celebrities, however, carrying a handgun is seen as a reflection of them having "arrived". And few can doubt Dhoni, a national hero in a cricket-worshiping nation of 1.2billion people, has done that.