Review arms, ammunition licences in state: Amarinder
Saturday, 22/04/2017
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Chandigarh/New Delhi : In an effort to check the unbridled proliferation of arms in the hands of criminals and gangsters, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday directed the police to review arms and ammunition licences issued in the state.
Chairing a security review meeting, Chief Minister expressed grave concern at the threat posed to internal security as a result of the arms proliferation, which has led to several incidents of violation of law and order in Punjab in recent past.
The meeting was attended by Principal Chief Secretary Suresh Kumar, DGP Suresh Arora and ADGP (Intelligence) Dinkar Gupta.
While ordering a comprehensive review of the licences issued by District Magistrates and Police Commissionerates, Chief Minister also directed a propriety audit of the arms licences issued after the notification of the Arms Rules, 2016, w.e.f July 15, 2016 till date.
Antecedent verification of the licences, where needed, would also be done, as per the Chief Minister’s directions, a government spokesperson said.
The move is aimed to control the lawlessness prevailing in the state as a result of the armed gangsters who had free run under SAD-BJP regime, said the spokesperson. The DGP stated that 57 criminal gangs are active in Punjab and several incidents of gang wars, jail breaks and killings have been reported in recent months, causing serious concern to Captain Amarinder government, he added.
The Chief Minister further instructed the police to lay down a comprehensive policy for disposal and destruction of confiscated, captured, seized, recovered or surrendered arms and ammunition within the state.
Captain Amarinder has also asked the police department to prepare lists of arms and ammunition deposited in the Police Stations under safe custody and as case property, and to suggest ways and means for their disposal and transfer to the central malkhana to prevent their probable misuse.
The Chief Minister further asked the police to lay down guidelines for sale and consumption of ammunition for licensed weapons with the objective to check their circulation to unscrupulous and subversive elements.
