Congress leader Mateen Patel, known to be an associate of Karnataka IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge, has come under scrutiny after a video of him brandishing a gun at a wedding function in Kalaburagi went viral on social media.
The video, which began circulating on Tuesday, February 10, shows Mateen stepping out of a black SUV and waving what appears to be a handgun while music from the Hindi film Dhurandhar plays in the background. Another individual standing beside him is seen holding what looks like a rifle. Mateen appears to be recreating a scene from the film as part of a dance performance at the event.
Following the circulation of the video, the police issued a notice to Mateen. In his response, he reportedly stated that the object he was holding was a plastic toy gun and that he had been participating in celebrations at a relative’s wedding.
Kalaburagi Police Commissioner Sharanappa SD confirmed that a notice had been served and that Mateen had claimed the gun was not real. He added that displaying weapons in public places constitutes a legal violation and that a suo motu case would be registered after a preliminary inquiry.
“We know the person in the video. I have instructed the officers to find out where the video was shot and under which police station’s jurisdiction it falls. Police have also been directed to verify the nature of the weapons seen in the video,” he said.
Sharanappa said that the police would verify whether the weapon was real and, if so, whether it had a valid licence. “If the weapon is found to be illegal, action will be taken under the Arms Act.”
After the video went viral, the BJP demanded action against Mateen through a post on social media. “The goonda culture of the leaders of INC Karnataka has crossed all limits. A Congress leader from Kalaburagi district dancing with a gun in a movie style is provocative and worrying. Home Minister G Parameshwara, please take action against your own party leader who openly danced and posed with a gun without fear of the law, or accept that you are an ineffective Home Minister,” the BJP said.