Now Same Ordeal Starts Again
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/201112 ... inda.htm#1
Arms deposit burdens cops, hurts licence holders
Balwant Garg
Faridkot, December 9
Following the Election Commission's directives to the police and civil administration to ask the licensees of fire-arms to deposit their weapons, the police have started the process of depositing the weapons but it is
facing stiff resistance from many of the arms holders.
Earlier, the directive for depositing the fire-arms came after the elections were announced. But this time, being over cautious, the Election Commission wants to start the process in advance. The arms are to be deposited at the nearest police station and a receipt is to be obtained.
As the cops have to ensure round-the-clock vigil of the deposited weapons, the police are heavily burdened as they have to take care of over 3.30 lakh licensed weapons with 3,23,927 arms licensees in the state.
In Faridkot, the number of licensed fire-arms is 11,113. The maximum number of licensed weapons in Punjab is 35,794 in Gurdaspur, followed by 35,152 in Bathinda, 26,726 in Ludhiana, 25,801 in Moga, 22,500 in Amritsar, 21,503 in Hoshiarpur, 17,332 in Ferozepur and 17,120 in Muktsar.
While the police are seeking the help of private gun dealers to deposit these weapons and allowing them to charge monthly deposit fee from the weapon owners, many licensees who live on the outskirts of the city or in their agricultural fields, said that without their weapons, they are
exposed to the threats to their life and property.
Earlier, many a time, the directions for depositing the fire-arms became a bone of contention when some citizens refused to surrender their weapons for various reasons and approached the courts, praying that the authorities be restrained from compelling the petitioners to deposit their weapons.
Various directions had been issued by the courts asking the authorities not to force the licence holders from depositing their weapons, said Mangat Arora, an advocate in Faridkot.
If it is found by the competent authority that there is a chance of the misuse of the weapon, only then would the fire-arms be deposited, he said
However, Sat Pal Singh Sidhu, SSP, Faridkot, said the police and the civil administration were working as per the directions of the Election Commission. "We got the instructions to ask the licensees to deposit their weapons last month," he said.
"People keep licensed weapons from the safety point of view. What's the point of having a licensed weapon if it's to be deposited? The police or the administration gives no surety of any untoward incident taking place. When proper verification is done prior to issue of an arms licence, then why this harassment," said Amrik Singh, a resident of Kameana village in Faridkot.
