Security men with VIPs carry ‘useless’ carbines

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, July 28

How safe are bureaucrats, politicians and other important persons in Punjab? The answer to the question lies in the 9mm carbines provided to security personnel which have turned “useless”. In many cases, security personnel have to use rubber band to keep the magazine intact with the carbine.

Recently, a PCS officer of the rank of Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) showed a service rifle (9mm carbine) of his gunman to this correspondent. It had a rubber band fitted on the magazine’s release catch to keep it from falling out on its own.

“The weapon has turned old and magazine gets loose, so to keep it in place we have to use rubber band or adjust its catch with a tape. While travelling, we have to remove the magazine to avoid losing it on the way. Although a majority of officials prefer to carry the weapon because of its small size, it carries a lot of risk as well,” said the gunman of the officer.

Similarly, another security man said, “Besides the release catch problem, the magazine can’t be fully loaded. We load just 15 cartridges in the magazine against the total capacity of 30 rounds.”

In such a situation, most of the protectees have asked their security personnel to change the weapon from their department. A senior police officer too admitted the fact that the policemen had to adjust the magazine using some improvised method. “Normally, the 9mm carbine is allotted to the head constables. They may be attached with any officer, politician or doing duty in police stations,” he added.

He, however, further said the obsolete weapons could be repaired or replaced from the department. A recent report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) too had exposed that the state policemen were equipped with obsolete weapons.