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| Sleuths of VO raids DC office Udhampur, seizes records of gun licenses | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, June 29 : Sleuths of Vigilance Organization (VO) Jammu today raided the office of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Udhampur and seized record pertaining to Gun licenses from the period 2012 to 2016 for scrutiny of records in a case registered with Vigilance Organization Jammu last month on the directions of State Home Department.
Sources in the Vigilance Organization stated that a team of officials led by DySP HL Pandita raided the office of the DC Udhampur and seized records pertaining to issuance of gun licenses from the period of 2012 to 2016.
Sources further claimed that around 20,000 gun license have been issued in the said district from the period of 2012 to 2016.
It is pertinent to mention here that the raid comes after the state Home department forwarded a report to the Vigilance about thousands of gun licences issued by the Deputy Commissioners of various districts during 2012 to 2016. Accordingly, case FIR No. 11/2018 under the relevant sections was registered in P/S VOJ for through investigation.
The report said that authorities of the districts were involved in malpractices in issuance of Arms Licenses in lieu of monetary considerations.
"The licensing authorities have brazenly flouted the norms, procedure and rules governing the subject in lieu of monetary considerations by abusing their official position as public servants which in turn discloses commission of criminal misconduct by them u/s 5 (2) PC Act Samvat 2006 read with section 3/25 Arms Act 1962.
It is relevant to mention here that Principal Secretary Home wrote a letter to Divisional Commissioners of the State to verify arms licences in Kishtwar, Kupwara, Ganderbal, Leh, Rajouri, Ramban, Reasi, and Udhampur issued to locals, non-state subjects and armed personnel. The Divisional Commissioners had been asked to submit report within a month.
The Home Department had found that according to a report of National Database for Arms Licenses, the number of arms licenses issued to some districts in the State has been exceedingly large in numbers. The Department had suggested that it required examination and verification as to whether the relevant provisions of the Arms Act, 1959 and the rules of 2016 have been followed by the licencing authority concerned, while issuing these arms licences.
As per the Union Ministry of Home Affairs report, various Deputy Commissioners (DCs) especially those who have served in various districts in Jammu province have issued 3, 69,191 gun licenses during the last 15 years.
It is shocking as with a population of 1.25 crore, every 33rd person has a gun in Jammu and Kashmir. If the population and the number of gun licenses are taken into account, 2.94 percent of the population owns a gun.
However, large numbers of the licenses have been issued to Army and other security personnel who are serving in the State and can get arms licences from any district in Jammu and Kashmir where they are posted on the recommendation of a letter from the Commanding Officer of their unit. |
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