The opposition BJP in Telangana has demanded that Prohibition and Excise Minister V. Srinivas Goud be dropped from the state Cabinet for firing in the air from a service weapon belonging to a policeman during a freedom rally as part of the ongoing celebrations to mark 75 years of Independence on Saturday.

BJP MLA Raghunandan Rao also demanded that the minister be booked for violating law.

During the event in Mahbubnagar on Saturday, the minister had taken a self-loading loading rife (SLR) from his security guard and opened fire in the air to launch the rally.

Wanting to know if the minister has gun licence, Rao ridiculed Srinivas’ clarification that he had fired a rubber bullet.

“The minister has been provided security due to threat to his life. If he says it was a rubber bullet, all the MLAs have to rethink about the security provided to them,” he said.

The BJP lawmaker demanded that the Director General of Police (DGP) should clarify if it was a rubber bullet or a real one.

Rao also sought a judicial probe into the matter.

Stating that opening fire in a public place is illegal, he questioned the silence of DGP Mahender Reddy, saying though the minister fired in the presence of the district superintendent of police, neither a case has been booked, nor the gun has been seized.

Urging the DGP to act impartially, the MLA demanded that the gun be immediately sent to the forensic lab for analysis.

Rao wondered if the DGP is silent because he expects advisor’s post after retirement.

The BJP leader said if the government fails to act on the issue, he would file a case in the high court.

The video of the minister firing in the air had gone viral on social media.

Meanwhile, reacting to the criticism from various quarters, Goud said that he only fired a rubber bullet.

“I opened fire using a rubber bullet and I have a licence to operate weapons,” he said.

A Telangana minister on Saturday opened fire in the air to inaugurate a freedom rally as part of the ongoing celebrations to mark 75 years of India’s Independence.

Excise, Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Srinivas Goud took the self-loading rifle of a policeman to fire two rounds in the air to launch the rally in Mahabubnagar town.

The rally was organised from Zilla Parishad Grounds to Clock Tower in the town. To the surprise of everyone gathered at the starting point of the rally, the minister took the firearm of the constable standing next to him and opened fire.

The video of the minister firing in the air went viral on social media. Some netizens asked if the minister would be booked under Arms Act.

The minister has reportedly resorted to this for the second time in three days. His action triggered a row as some people say a misfire could have led to tragedy as a large number of people were present around the minister.

It was immediately not clear if the bullets fired were real or dummy bullets used for celebrations.

Freedom rallies were organised in various parts of the state on Saturday ahead of Independence Day.

Ministers, MPs, state legislators, other public representatives and police and civil officials, employees and citizens from various walks of life participated in the rallies.

Greater Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal Vijalaxmi led a freedom rally on Tank Bund in the heart of Hyderabad. Holding national flags, officials and employees of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) participated in the rally.

Denying any involvement in the conspiracy to assassinate Telangana cabinet minister V. Srinivas Goud, BJP leader and former MP A.P. Jithender Reddy on Thursday demanded a thorough probe in the entire episode.

He said if the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has no confidence in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), it should order a judicial probe.

Talking to reporters, he took strong exception to the allegations made against him and called it a political conspiracy to defame him and the party.

The National Executive member of BJP said he had apprised the national leadership of the developments in the state.

The former MP said people of the state should know why a conspiracy was hatched to kill the minister.

“We all saw the body language of the Cyberabad Police Commissioner. He was given a script; he was acting,” tweeted Jithender Reddy.

Cyberabad Police Commissioner Stephen Ravindra on Wednesday night announced the arrest of eight accused in the case. Four of the accused were arrested from the residence of Jithender Reddy in New Delhi.

Police also seized two weapons and some bullets from the accused.

According to police, the accused had offered Rs 15 crore to a person with a criminal record for killing the minister.

The Police Commissioner said Jithender Reddy’s driver Tilak Thapa and personal assistant Raju provided shelter to the accused in servant quarter at the former MP’s house.

Stephen Ravindra said they were probing the role of Jithender Reddy in the case. Police on Thursday moved a court seeking custody of the accused for further questioning.

Meanwhile, Jithender Reddy’s driver was released on a personal bond. After the release, Thapa came to the state BJP office where party’s state President Bandi Sanjay felicitated him.

Sanjay alleged that since minister Srinivas Goud’s corrupt activities were becoming public, the TRS government came out with a conspiracy theory to protect him. He claimed that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was scared of BJP’s growing popularity and he was trying to tarnish the image of the party by making false allegations against its leaders.

Meanwhile, Raghavendra Raju is reported to have told police that he hatched a plot to kill Srinivas Goud as he was targeting his businesses. The accused alleged that the minister not only got him implicated in false cases but damaged his real estate business and ordered closure of his bar.