Model code brings reprieve for officials but rush for arms licence unlikely to abate

While the administration will get a breather in the face of the ever-increasing number of applications for arms licences due to the enforcement of Model Code of Conduct in view of the bypoll for Ludhiana West Assembly constituency, the dubious love affair between weapons and Punjabis seems to be becoming more fervent in the Malwa region.

Advertisement

The love of Punjabis for arms licence and weapons is so profound that they don’t hesitate from indulging in illegal practices and greasing the palms of ‘agents’ to facilitate the online submission of their applications and further processing. Professional and award-winning shooters are no exception when it comes to adopting illegal modes to get their licences processed.

Despite the government’s initiative to discourage the gun culture on social media and at functions, more and more youths are allegedly pressuring their parents to get them arms licence and expensive weapons without any rationale or necessity.

Easy accessibility to political leaders, bureaucrats, steep decline in prices of weapons, songs promoting gun culture and a tendency among NRIs to dispose of weapons were cited as immediate factors behind the illicit love affair between Punjabis and weapons.

Observations at administrative offices in this part of Malwa, falling under Ludhiana, Ludhiana (Rural), Khanna, Barnala and Malerkotla districts, revealed that the number of aspirants seeking issuance of arms licence had increased significantly during the past couple of years.

The weeks preceding and following the death anniversary of Sidhu Moosewala are known to enthuse more youths to own a weapon.

Though authorities at various offices receiving and processing arms licence applications declined to give details, interaction with leaders, including councillors, sarpanches and aides of legislators and parliamentarians, suggested that the number of applications and licences issued thereafter had increased considerably at almost all offices.

“Though officials have stopped receiving fresh applications on account of enforcement of model code, the number of applications submitted on any working day is in double digits,” said Davinder Singh, a facilitator at the local District Administrative Complex.

A perusal of records revealed that an FIR under sections 318(4), 336(2), 336 (3), 340(2) and 341 (2) of BNS and section 30 of the Arms Act had been registered at Division Number 5 Police Station recently against an applicant, Charanjit Singh of Phullanwal village in Ludhiana, for allegedly misguiding the authorities with fake documents with the intent to get an arms licence by hook or by crook.

Charanjit Singh had allegedly presented a fake dope test report purportedly issued by the SMO at Civil Hospital, Raikot, which the authorities denied having issued.

In yet another case, the authorities issuing medical certificates had shown a physically challenged applicant to be physically fit and showing different height measurements in different certificates.

Residents are also worried about the self-contradictory policies of the government regarding weapons permitted on one licence and validity of licence.

“While the number of weapons permitted on one licence has been decreased from three to two with intent to control the gun culture, the validity has been enhanced from three years to five years,” said a former police personnel who recently retired from arms (Asla branch) in a Malwa district.

Closure of a number of registered gun houses has also posed serious questions about the presence of weapons which were in their (gun houses) stock at the time of closing, with plausible apprehension that most of these weapons, except .12 bore guns, are in possession of unauthorised persons.

People want that the police should be relieved of extra duties so that circulation of illegal weapons is checked and awareness about possession of weapons strictly in compliance with provisions of Arms Act is raised.

Though no authenticated date was available on the total number of licences and weapons possessed by Punjabis at present, it is estimated that the total number of registered members is much above 3.8 lakh.

According to a document presented by the state police in Punjab and Haryana Court last year, 34,768 licences were issued in five years (2019-2024).

Further, a maximum number of these (32,003) were procured for self-defence whereas 77 were issued for protection of crops and 95 due to threat from gangsters and anti-social elements in those five years.