Bhubaneswar: Bharatiya Janata Dal (BJP) MLA Nabin Jain has been booked for rash and negligent behaviour after a video surfaced showing him firing blank rounds from a pistol during a Ram Navami procession at Titlagarh in Odisha’s Balangir district.
The incident occurred on Friday evening amid a large celebratory crowd, including hundreds of participants and BJP supporters, as the procession wound through the town. The legislator allegedly fired three rounds from a 0.32-bore pistol in what appeared to be a moment of high spirits.
Balangir Superintendent of Police Abilash G confirmed that a case has been registered against him under Section 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for rashly endangering public safety, along with Section 25 of the Arms Act related to the possession and use of the firearm. The weapon has been seized, he added.
Celebratory firing is prohibited under the Arms Act, as it endangers public safety.
Jain’s Personal Security Officer (PSO), Premachand Nag, has been suspended for negligence of duty. Visuals from the video reportedly show the PSO assisting the MLA in handling the pistol. Police have also summoned the officer for further questioning.
The episode has triggered political reactions and public outrage, with many questioning the conduct of elected representatives. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) strongly condemned the act, describing it as a blatant display of arrogance and evidence of a breakdown in law and order under the ruling BJP government—often referred to as the “double engine” dispensation. Senior BJD leader and former minister Tukuni Sahu demanded Jain’s immediate arrest, stating that the MLA had “crossed all limits of decency” by brandishing and firing a firearm in full public view during a religious procession, thereby creating fear among ordinary citizens.
Jain had earlier dismissed the incident as a light-hearted, playful act intended to energise the crowd of “Ram bhakts,” claiming the pistol was merely a toy gun.
