Less crime-prone districts are ‘most-armed’
Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 1:26 pm
![Image](http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120322/har1.jpg)
Chandigarh, March 21
The issuing of firearms licences in Haryana in the last seven years is a story of contradictions and contrasts. While Hisar,the pocketborough of Haryana Janhit Congress MP Kuldip Bishnoi and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s bete noire, is the “most armed” district, Palwal is the “least armed” district in the state.
Surprisingly, Haryana’s millennium city Guragon, which emerged as the state’s crime capital in 2011 with the highest number of heinous crime cases, had comparatively lesser number of firearms licences (1,047). Chief Minister Hooda’s home district, which had the dubious distinction of reporting the second highest number of crime incidents was also way behind the top three districts with 1,932 firearms licences.
In fact, data on the number of firearms licences issued by the authorities concerned in the last seven years shows that the highest number of 2,709 firearms licences was issued in Hisar followed by Jhajjar (2,551) and Jind (2,425).
Besides Palwal, where only 270 firearms licences were issued since January 1,2005, Mahendragarh district administration issued 295 arms licences followed by Mewat (329).
In the last seven years, the state government issued 28,521 arms licences - 28,487 non-prohibited bore (NPB) and 34 prohibited bore (PB) licences. The PB licences are cleared by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for persons who are prime targets by the terrorists. Rohtak alone has 11 PB licences followed by Ambala which has nine such licences.
Meanwhile, the number of arms licences issued in other district are: Bhiwani (1,461), Faridabad(686), Fatehabad (1,322), Kurukshetra (2,094), Kaithal (1,368), Karnal (2,145), Panchkula(367), Panipat (1,855), Rewari (547), Sonepat (1,850), Sirsa (1,666) and Yamunanagar (541).
“Unemployment, status symbol to blame”
Jhajjar-based Maan Singh, a retired senior official of the Haryana police, blamed the unemployment and status symbol for the large number of arms licences in certain districts. A large number of unemployed persons seeking employment in mushrooming security agencies need arms licences to get the job. “Similarly, with easy money coming to scores of farmers, who have sold their land to industrialists and builders, the firearms licences and cars are considered to be status symbols in these backward areas,” he added.
Ref: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120322/haryana.htm#1