New Delhi: A BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur district was Monday booked for firing shots in the air Sunday evening as people lit lamps or candles for nine minutes at 9 pm at the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A video showing BJP leader Manju Tiwari firing shots with a revolver to mark the battle against coronavirus went viral on social media. Tiwari is the district president of the party’s women’s wing in Balrampur district.
Balrampur Superintendent of Police (SP) Dev Ranjan Verma said Tiwari has been booked under “suitable sections” of the India Penal Code.
Additional SP Arvind Misra also issued a statement on Balrampur Police’ official Twitter handle, assuring that further investigation on the alleged incident is underway.
In the video, Tiwari can be seen holding a pistol in her hand and firing the shots into the air while those around her can be heard laughing and applauding. She had allegedly uploaded the video herself on her Facebook account, which she is said to have later deleted.
Also read: Modi’s appeal to light lamps turns into school-monitored activity, parents to fill ‘forms’
‘Felt like Diwali’
Tiwari has since apologised for her action. The BJP leader said it “felt like Diwali” after she saw the entire city illuminating and hence fired “out of jubiliation”.
Balrampur: BJP leader Manju Tiwari booked for firing in the air around 9 PM yesterday. "I saw the entire city illuminating with candles & earthen lamps. I felt like it was Diwali & fired in the air out of jubilation. I accept my mistake & apologise for it," the leader says. pic.twitter.com/cn1rqrzSTv
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 6, 2020
As soon as the video showing Tiwari firing shots in the air surfaced online, social media was abuzz with reactions.
Congress spokesperson Akhilesh P. Singh condemned the “celebratory firing” and called for police action into the incident.
ये देखिये जनाब @Uppolice
ये पत्रकार साथी को वर्दास्त नहीं हो रहा है
अरे हर्ष फ़ायरिंग की है
अपने लाईसेन्सी रिवाल्वर से की होगी
कोई कट्टे से थोड़ी ना की होगी
हर्ष फ़ायरिंग पर भले रोक है@BJP4India सरकार है
इन पर और इनके ट्रोलो पर कार्यवाही कर कौन पुलिसवाला अपनी नौकरी गँवायेगा https://t.co/W7MBtkRnRw— Akhilesh P. Singh (@AkhileshPSingh) April 6, 2020
Video of BJP Mahila Ziladhyaksh Manju Tiwari from Balrampur firing in the air fs part of #9बजे9मिनट . Video uploaded from her own ID which went viral. #bjp #IndiaFightsCoronavirus @balrampurpolice pic.twitter.com/1PBPHMMA9G
— Amil Bhatnagar (@AmilwithanL) April 6, 2020
In his third national address to the nation, amid the Covid-19 crisis, Prime Minister Modi had requested citizens to switch off lights for nine minutes at 9 pm Sunday and light candles or torches to “challenge the darkness” of the coronavirus crisis that has forced a three-week country-wide lockdown.
Following Sunday’s event, however, many have complained about people bursting firecrackers and gathering on the streets.
Also read: ‘Aasha ka diya’, ‘distant yet together’ — how prime time news marked 9 mins, 9 pm