While the former JD(U) MLA from Bihar has been detained for celebratory firing at a New Year’s eve party that injured a woman, more information from the incident shows just how bizarre it was.
The Indian Express reports that Raju Singh, the MLA in question, is reportedly fond of weapons and even wanted the DJ at the party to “gun songs” before he fired the shots that injured a guest at his party.
The injured woman, Archana Gupta, took a bullet in her head and is now in a critical condition.
Despite his arrest, the guests at his party, who the police have question, are refusing to speak up.
Singh already has a cases against him under the Arms Act and attempted murder.
A senior officer told The India Express, “Singh was drunk when he allegedly took out the pistol to shoot in the air, while many in the gathering were dancing. He started firing from his pistol and his driver Hari Singh started firing from his rifle. Around 8-10 rounds were fired by both of them. Gupta was on the dance floor with her friends, and appears to have been hit by a stray bullet allegedly fired by Singh.”
Reports say there were around 80 guests at the New Year’s eve party at the farm called “Rose Farms” which is owned by Singh’s mother.
Singh lives their with his two brothers and their families.
Another report in The Indian Express said that only four guests have said what happened, the others were reportedly scared to talk about it because the accused was high profile.
The report quoted the police as saying, “Police have sought names of all guests from the organisers, but haven’t got a conclusive list. Some claim they left the venue before the incident, others say they didn’t see or hear anything. But four people say they saw what happened.”
The guests had also not called the police when the incident took place. The police only came to know about it when Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj called them about having received a patient with a gun shot wound in her head.
The husband of the woman has lodged an FIR saying Singh fired shots into the air and then he saw his wife on the ground bleeding profusely.