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Ludhiana: Right wing leader booked over viral weapon video
Shiv Sena Punjab leader Bhanu Pratap claims he is being punished for raising his voice on Hindu issues; cops say the case was registered only because of his act in the viral video and the potential threat
An FIR has been registered against Shiv Sena Punjab leader Bhanu Pratap after a video showing him brandishing an “illegal” pistol went viral on social media, police said on Thursday.
Officials said a team from the division number 3 police station was on patrol duty on Tuesday when it reached the vegetable market area near Khwaja Kothi Chowk to verify the viral video. The accused was identified. “The video showed Bhanu Pratap displaying an illegal weapon in a manner that could provoke people and threaten public safety,” officials said.
Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Paramjit Singh, who is investigating the case, stated that such acts create fear and disturb law and order. “Therefore the action was taken promptly,” he said. A senior police officer said the accused was booked for allegedly attempting to incite people by flaunting a weapon in public.
Meanwhile, Bhanu Pratap claimed that he was being targeted because of his religious identity. He alleged that he was being punished for raising his voice on Hindu issues. He said that Shiv Sena Punjab and other Hindu organisations had recently demanded that the state government organise a state-level function for the festival of Maha Shivratri. “The police action has been taken under pressure from the government,” he said.
Police, however, rejected his claims and maintained that the case was registered purely on legal grounds based on the viral video and the potential threat posed by the act. Officials said strict action would be taken against anyone found posting or circulating videos that could disturb public peace.
Section 196(B) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been slapped on the accused.
