The entire act was a mock police drill.
A video of a man slapping an armed "terrorist" at a crowded temple in Maharashtra's Dhule district is going viral on social media. However, the short clip is not making rounds on the internet for the man's courage but for the final outcome when the identity of the "terrorist" is revealed.
The incident took place on Sunday evening when a masked "terrorist", with a rifle in hand, entered the crowded Swaminarayan Temple and held a man at gunpoint. His sudden appearance caused panic among the visitors and left women and children terrified. It was later revealed that the entire act was a mock police drill.
But an unaware Prashant Kulkarni, dressed in trousers and shirt, approached the "terrorist" holding a gun to the head of another person kneeling down. He apparently got angry after his daughter started crying.
"Do you have brains?" Mr Kulkarni is heard shouting before slapping the "terrorist" twice.
It was at this moment the police officials, who were standing nearby, intervened and controlled the situation. They explained the entire scene to Mr Kulkarni and asked him to calm down. They also said that the man he slapped was actually a police officer.
Mr Kulkarni was escorted away from the spot by a few police officers, as seen in the video.
Speaking to NDTV, a senior police officer explained that the purpose of this "anti-terrorism" drill was to observe the alertness of citizens during such situations. The mock drill was also held to see how the police department would react to a situation like this and how long it would take for them to respond to the scene.
Overall, the drill was a "success," the officer said, adding that the department will keep taking up such activities and conduct mock drills in order to keep the citizens safe.
However, on social media, many users expressed concern, saying that such mock drills by the police have left citizens scared. Some even stated that had the masked man been a real terrorist, no person would have had the courage to confront and slap him.