PDP Lawmaker Mohammad Ashraf Mir seen firing a rifle after defeating Omar Abdullah
A lawmaker in Kashmir is seen firing an AK 47 rifle while celebrating his victory over outgoing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, in a video widely circulated on social media. Mohammad Ashraf Mir is from the People's Democratic Party or PDP, which won the most number of seats in the election.
The video shows Mr Mir, surrounded by supporters, holding up the rifle and firing several shots in the air after his victory from the Sonawar assembly seat.
Mr Abdullah today dared the police to book the lawmaker. "So will J&K police register a case against the gun toting MLA or will they be too scared in case he's a minister a few days from now?" he questioned on Twitter.
"The PDP chap let off an AK 47 to celebrate his victory over me. Thank goodness I didn't lose Beerwah!!! I wonder what they would have fired!" he commented in another tweet.
Mr Mir won by a margin of around 4,700 votes and is the first politician in Jammu and Kashmir to defeat an incumbent Chief Minister.
"Even if he holds an AK 47 for 5 minutes, it is illegal," said Congress leader Rashid Alvi.
A leader of the BJP, which is in talks with the PDP for government formation, also condemned the act.
"The use of an AK 47 at a public event is shameful. They are using guns the same way as militants," said the party's Chaman Lal Gupta.
Mr Abdullah lost his bid for a second term in the polls with his National Conference party placing third after the PDP and BJP.
The BJP, which scored its best-ever performance in the state but fell far short of a majority, is reportedly weighing its options between the PDP and National Conference for government formation.