Telangana Prohibition and Excise Minister V Srinivas Goud has come under the scanner for firing a gun into the air at an Independence Day celebration. The minister shared a video of him at the celebration in Mahbubnagar, his constituency, which several people including senior police officials had attended on Saturday, August 13. In the video, he is seen taking a service weapon from a police official and firing it in the air. The video has gone viral, with many questioning whether the act was legal.
The BJP in Telangana has demanded the minister’s resignation, alleging that the weapon was a self-loading rifle with live ammunition. BJP MLA Raghunandan Rao said in a press conference that firing a live bullet in public is illegal, and questioned whether Srinivas Goud had an appropriate license for the same. However, the minister later clarified that the gun was “not a real one” and that it only fired rubber bullets. “It was only celebratory firing to inaugurate the rally, like I had inaugurated some events as the Sports Minister. The SP gave it to me saying it's not a real gun although it looks like one, and it had only rubber bullets,” The Hindu quoted Srinivas Goud as saying.
The minister also said that he is a member of the National Rifle Association of India, and that he was aware of the rules under the Arms Act. Further, he added that the video of him at the Swathantra Bharat Vajrotsavalu celebrations was a “malicious circulation” by certain “vested groups”.
The BJP, however, was unconvinced with the minister’s reply, with Raghunandan Rao calling for his resignation. He also sought a judicial probe into the matter, and asked the Director General of Police to clarify whether it was a rubber bullet or a real one. He also hit out at DGP Mahender Reddy, accusing him of negligence for not registering a case against Srinivas Goud for firing a weapon in his presence. Raghunandan Rao has called for the minister’s resignation from the cabinet over the issue, and has threatened to move the High Court in connection with the incident if no police action is taken.