Chikkamagaluru police book BJP leader after viral video shows him firing gun

A BJP leader has been booked by the Chikkamaglur district police after a video of him firing five rounds of bullets in the air went viral online. 

Jeevan, president of the BJP Yuva Morcha in Chikkamagaluru district, allegedly fired five rounds into the air in a residential area of the city’s Kote locality during Ayudha Puja. Jeevan used a double-barrel gun and a revolver to fire five rounds into the air.  

Following the circulation of the video, police registered a suo motu case against Jeevan, taking note of the seriousness of the incident.  

TV media have carried pictures of Jeevan photographed with state BJP president BY Vijayendra and other leaders such as CT Ravi.

Firing in Chamarajanagar

In a separate incident, Congress leader Kabballi Mahesh, a former vice-president of the Chamarajanagar Zilla Panchayat, was accused of firing a gun into the air during Ayudha Puja at Kabballi village in Gundlupet taluk of Chamarajanagar district.

A video showing Mahesh firing into the air after performing puja for vehicles went viral on social media. The incident also drew public attention to the practice of celebratory gunfire during the festival.  

A case has been filed against Mahesh under the Arms Act over the alleged firing by the Begur police. 

Similar incidents of celebratory firing have been reported in Karnataka in recent years. 

In July 2025, Santosh Jarkiholi, son of BJP MLA and former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi, was booked by Belagavi district police after a video purportedly showed him firing a double-barrel gun into the air during the Lakshmi Devi temple fair in Gokak. 

The incident, which reportedly occurred amid a large gathering on July 4, prompted police to register a case under the Arms Act after the footage circulated on social media.

In October 2024, Bengaluru police booked Syed Altaf Ahmed, a 59-year-old resident of Bommanahalli, after a video showed him allegedly firing multiple rounds into the air during a friend's birthday celebration. The footage went viral on social media, prompting police to investigate the incident.