source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city ... 279706.cms
Police to link Aadhaar with gun licences
Syed Mohammed | TNN | Jun 23, 2017, 08.38 AM IST
HYDERABAD: Hyderabad police have embarked on a drive to link unique identification numbers with licences of firearms, pointing to the growing significance of Aadhaar.
The development came to light when arms license holders, who did not wish to be identified, said constables from the local police station came to their homes, requesting they provide Aadhaar numbers. On further inquiry , the constables informed them of the unique identification number and arms licence linkage.
"Whoever has an Aadhaar card must furnish it so that it is linked to the arms licence. The rationale is that the UID is being linked with various other services. We are following this trend," said a senior police officer who did not wish to be named. According to figures, there are as many as 4,365 arms licences within the jurisdiction of the Hyderabad police commissionerate. In a first, the cops are also geo-tagging residences of arms licence holders. This means that cops will enter the latitude and longitude of those who possess licensed weapons into a specially designed application.
"The geo-tagging is being done purely for internal purposes and is not mean for public consumption. The station house officer has to periodically visit residences of arms licence holders to keep a check. The geo-tagging is done only to facilitate his visits," the senior cop said. For their part, cops clarified that furnishing the Aadhaar numbers is not mandatory .
"Not having an Aadhaar card is no grounds for us to deny issuing or renewing arms licences. It is just that those who have the card must furnish information," the senior official said.
Deputy commissioner of police (South Zone) V Satyanarayana said that the process is underway . "We are not forcing anybody to give us the Aadhaar number. This is being done across the Hyderabad Police Commissionerate limits," he said. While the drive is being conducted across the Hyderabad Police Commissionerate limits, there are no immediate plans of the Aadhaar arms licence linkage in areas under the Cyberabad police commissionerate.
