Celebratory firing, sweet for cops as legislator Akash Vijayvargiya walks out of jail

Supporters of Akash Vijayvargiya, a BJP legislator from Indore, fired celebratory gunshots outside his office after their leader walked out of prison on bail, four days after he was arrested for beating up a civic body official with a cricket bat.

In a video, which is being shared on social media, supporters of the first-time legislator are seen firing in the air and garlanding Vijayvargiya, the son of BJP's National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya.

A day after a Bhopal court granted bail to Akash in the assault case, the BJP MLA was released from Indore District jail on Sunday morning. Sweets were also distributed to police personnel outside his residence in Indore.

"I am not guilty or embarrassed about what I did as it was in public interest. A woman was being dragged brutally in front of the police and I couldn't think of doing anything else," the young politician told ANI upon his release from jail.

"We work for public interest and dedicate each and every moment of our lives for the peace and prosperity of people of this country. We will continue doing that. I pray to God that I should not get a chance to bat again," he added.

On June 26, a Municipal Corporation officer, who was on an anti-encroachment drive in Indore, was chased away by Akash and supporters. A video of the dramatic incident, showing the legislator beating up an officer with a cricket bat, went viral, drawing criticism from the opposition.

BJP chief Amit Shah sought a report about the case from the party's Madhya Pradesh unit even as Vjayvargiya's supporters rallied behind him and camped outside the jail where he was imprisoned.

Posters with "Salute Akash ji" written on them came up in the city, though they were later removed.