BALANGIR: A day after the video of Titilagarh BJP MLA Nabin Kumar Jain engaging in celebratory fire during a Ram Navami procession went viral, Balangir SP Abhilash G on Sunday suspended his personal security officer (PSO) for dereliction of duty.
PSO Premanand Nag was placed under suspension for allegedly allowing the MLA to use his service pistol during the event, said police.
In the video, Jain could be seen firing a blank from a .32 bore pistol at Shastri chowk in Titilagarh during a Ram Navami procession on Friday. He also fired another round of blanks near Old Bank chowk later.
Video footage showed the PSO handing over his firearm to the MLA after the latter extended his hand. Subsequently, Jain was seen firing a shot into the air before returning the pistol and proceeding with the procession.
Following the incident, the Balangir SP ordered an inquiry and appointed additional SP Himansu Parida to investigate the matter.
While the MLA claimed that the firearm used was a toy gun, police officials have rejected this explanation.
On the day, IG (Northern Range) Himanshu Lal visited Balangir to inquire about the issue.