Leopard vs minister: Revolver in hand, BJP leader joins hunt for maneater

Maharashtra minister insists he took out the gun in self defence and did not want to just sit in the car when the Leopard was spotted.

File photo of Girish Mahajan/ Courtesy: Twitter

New Delhi: Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Girish Mahajan has courted controversy after a video emerged in which he is seen with a hunting party in pursuit of a Leopard which has reportedly killed five villagers in Jalgaon district.

Mahajan, who was previously seen with a revolver at a function for specially-abled children, was once again seen with the revolver as he joined the search party for the animal which has, according to local media reports, been terrorizing villages in the district. With him were DM, DFO, Additional SP and several villagers.

After the video emerged, however, the minister clarified that he had taken out his revolver in self-defence rather with the sole intent of hunting the animal. "The leopard has killed five people in the district in the past one-and-a-half months. On Monday, I visited the families of the people killed by the leopard. On my way, the forest officials sighted the leopard and so we decided to chase it down," he told mediapersons. "Being a legislator and guardian minister of the district, I wanted to participate in the operation, instead of sitting safely in my car."