CM Fadnavis defends minister who carried a gun to a school event

A minister in Maharashtra has come under criticism after he was spotted with a revolver tucked under his belt at an event organised for children with speech and hearing impairment.

The event was held on Saturday in Jalgaon where Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan from the Bharatiya Janata Party addressed children after distributing educational material. The district superintendent of police was also present at the function.

Defending his Mahajan who is being criticised for attending a children's event with a revolver tucked in his waist, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he has not broken any law.

Mahajan also later clarified that he carries the weapon for self-defence and that he has not been involved in any kind of violence.

“I admit that the revolver was visible. But never have I pointed a revolver, or gotten involved in violence of any kind in my life. The revolver is merely for self-defence,” Mahajan told reporters.

The issue of was raised in both the houses of state legislature in Mumbai on Monday.

“The minister should know what sort of example he is setting for children to emulate with his brazen display of a weapon. Does he not believe in police and security provided to him by the government?” leader of opposition in legislative council Dhananjay Munde said.

In the assembly, the opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party demanded sacking of the minister for attending a function of differently-abled children with a revolver tucked in his waist as it sent a wrong message in the society. The opposition members boycotted the question hour in protest.

Fadnavis said the opposition was trying to create an unnecessary controversy.

“Mahajan has a licence to carry weapon for last two decades. Licence holder is expected to carry the weapon and not keep it at home,” he said.

However, he agreed that the weapon was visible while the minister attended a function and necessary directives would be given to him in this regard.

When the matter was raised in the council, Fadnavis said, “Girish Mahajan has a licence for keeping a weapon. He is carrying it with him from the last 25 years. A licence is given only when a person needs to keep a revolver for his safety. He has not broken any law by carrying a revolver.”

The chief minister was replying to Sunil Tatkare of the NCP, who took a jibe at Mahajan and questioned the need to carry a revolver at the children's event.

“His revolver was tucked in his waist and a controversy was created out of it by news channels when a portion of the pistol became visible inadvertently,” Fadnavis said.

Image: Maharashtra's Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan. Photograph: Girish Mahajan/Facebook