Minister Srinivas Goud opens fire during freedom rally

Mahbubnagar: Excise Minister Srinivas Goud landed in a controversy by firing a loaded police gun in air at a freedom rally here on Saturday. A purported video of the incident was widely shared on social media.

As part of Swatantra Bharat Vajrotsavam celebrations, the Minister launched a huge freedom rally from Zilla Parishad office to Clock Tower in the town. At the time of flagging off the rally, Srinivas Goud took the rifle from a police constable and fired a bullet in the air.

Even the participants were caught unaware and also panicked when he took the rifle from the policeman and fired the bullet in the air.

Within minutes, the Minister's video of opening fire into the air went viral on social media and netizens started questioning how can the police allow the Minister to open fire especially when he was surrounded by a huge crowd. They also asked if the police would book the Minister under Arms Act.

However, responding to the controversy over opening fire in the air, Minister Srinivas Goud said he had fired a rubber bullet and people were unnecessarily propagating misinformation about this incident.

The Minister said if anyone can prove that he fired a real bullet, he was ready to tender his resignation from the Minister's post.

The Minister also said as a Sports Minister and as a member of the All India Rifle Association, he can use a weapon.

He asked the people who are misreporting the firing incident to reach out to the district Superintendent of Police to get their facts correct and also urged them to desist from spreading misinformation without verifying the facts.