Soldier from Vijayawada chose not to be off-duty; but for wrong cause
- Soldier goes on a rampage, holds liquor shop owner in hostage by pointing a gun
- The owner forced to wear a slipper garland in spite of police presence
- Soldier who was on 20 days leave booked under Indian Arms Act
FollowIn a filmy style, a soldier from Vijayawada, went on a rampage in his village, flashing his gun around, in an attempt to be a local Robinhood.
He told the police later that he wanted to ensure that all encroached land in the area should be given to the SC/ST residents of the village, Times of India reported.
Manjunath Siddappa Budihal, who is posted in the Army Signal Corps in Meghalaya was on a 20-day leave. On Wednesday evening, Budihal walked into the liqour shop owned by one Ramababu Bhojanna. The off-duty soldier then got Bhojanna out of his shop and placed the gun on his temple.
As villagers gathered, he also fired a shot in the air. Soon the local police arrived at the scene and tried to intervene. The soldier then demanded that all ill-gotten land should be distributed to the SC/ST residents of the area.
The TOI report said that the police in a bid to douse the situation even complied to Budihal's request and brought in some land documents. Even after several hours of negotiations, the soldier refused to release his hostage.
Budihal even made the hostage, Ramababu wear a garland of slippers around his neck and walk around the village while the police looked on helplessly. Finally after several hours of drama, the soldier surrendered to the police.
A case has been registered under the sections 323, 307, 504, 506 of IPC, and Sections 27 and 30 of the Indian Arms Act, 1959, the TOI report said.
(The image used in the story is just for a representation)
