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| MHA to crack whip on officials for issuing illegal gun licenses | | JK arms dealers under scanner | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Sept 8: With more than 3 lakh gun licences issued by the District Magistrates during the last 7 years, Union Home Ministry has decided to crack whip and fix responsibility on the officers who have allegedly issued thousands of illegal gun licences in lieu of huge cash.
Sources said that the ministry was alarmed when it found out that get Arms Licences have been issued on the basis of fake and forged documents and that too on the basis of police verification. They added that MHA had been receiving complaints about licences being issued without carrying out the necessary verification but instead of taking action, it preferred passing the complaints onto the state government, advising it to take immediate action.
But the state government did nothing and preferred not to even advice Deputy Commissioners (DC) to either stop issuing licences or make the process stringent. MHA discovered that several residents of Jammu and Kashmir as well as non-state subjects have obtained Arms licences from various districts of Jammu and Kashmir on the basis of fictitious documents and have purchased arms and ammunition from different Arms dealers of the state while some have procured them even from Ordinance Factories.
In certain cases, MHA found out that some such Licence holders have previously indulged in criminal activities. In order to bust the entire racket and initiate appropriate legal action against such persons, sources said that the investigation is being kept under wraps. MHA further told by New Delhi and Karnataka police that they seized arms licences issued by various District Magistrates with "All India" validity.
It needs to be mentioned here that Arms licence for All India validity can be granted after seeking prior concurrence of State Home department with full justification in deserving cases only. Sources said that it has also become a matter of serious concern as to who all managed to give these licences of all India validity to people with tainted credentials. They said that arms licences and weapons purchased by these accused persons will be seized as these have been purchased in contravention to the MHA's Guidelines.
Sources further said that licences have even been issued to those who have virtually no threat to their lives. Besides, those who have been involved in criminal cases are themselves a threat to other peace loving citizens yet these individuals have been issued arms licence, said sources in MHA. They stressed that those individuals who have criminal background succeeded in procuring Arms Licences from Jammu and Kashmir through the mediators/agents in lieu of handsome amount.
They further said that thousands of arms licence holders have given false residence proof of their native places when they actually live somewhere else. A few years ago, the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police had traced guns and licences recovered from a few mafia dons to Jammu and Kashmir. The police found guns with Ashwani Naik and Manu Sharma, who was later convicted in the Jessica Lal murder case. These cases were shifted to the CBI in 2002.
The arrest of another person with a criminal record, Krishan Kumar from Najafgarh in Delhi, also led the police to Jammu. He was carrying an arms licence issued by the district magistrate of Jammu. Crime Branch had registered 33 cases after central security agencies detected the fake licences racket. Even Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has stated that indiscriminate issuance of licenses to criminals has become a threat to national security.
It has told MHA that 1,009 licences had been issued to individuals with questionable reputations. OF these, 400 licences had been issued to alleged criminals in Madhya Pradesh, 400 in Uttar Pradesh, 70 in Delhi, 50 in Rajasthan, 30 in Haryana and 20 in Bihar. What makes the issue serious is the fact even the state government has admitted of having issued more than three lakh gun licences in the state since the year 2009.
Since 2009 till date, 3,07,721 gun licences have been issued by the district magistrates in the state. It is now for the investigating agency to find out who all are involved in this murky trade and who all have compromised with the national security for purely monitory gains. |
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