88 pc licensed arms deposited with police

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, January 19

The Faridkot police’s drive to get licensed weapons deposited has met with 88 per cent success in the district. As many as 11,525 out of the total 13,033 licensed arms have been deposited so far. On the directions of the Election Commission, the district — for the first time – is targeting the deposition of all licensed weapons by this week.

The maximum success (99.52 per cent) has been achieved in the rural area of the Faridkot Assembly constituency. The figures in Kotkapura and Jaitu Assembly seats are 98.12 per cent and 87.8 per cent, respectively. The minimum is in Faridkot town where 30 per cent owners have not yet deposited these withthe police.

Following the Election Commission’s directives to the police and civil administration to tell firearm owners to deposit their weapons, the police and civil administration had made public announcements in this regard. But as some licensees were reluctant and used their “connections” to be exempted, police teams started knocking on the doors of these “powerful” men to collect their weapons.