Batala cops reinvent fight against crime, suspend 150 arms licences
Batala has earned the dubious distinction of being the ‘crime capital’ of Punjab. In its endeavour to shrug off this rather dishonourable tag and to bring down the crime rate, the police have suspended 150 arms licences. This has been done under an elaborate exercise, aimed at checking the past criminal record and reputation of the owners.
Will enhance public safety
The drive is a crucial step towards reducing gun-related violence and also to enhance public safety. — Suhail Qasim, SSP, Batala
Persistent glorification of the use of guns at public places suggested that Punjab was becoming a battleground where masculinity entwined with guns. This narrative often led to violence. Keeping this in view, SSP Suhail Qasim Mir launched a drive wherein in the first phase people who had FIRs registered against them were asked to surrender their licences. The police have collected 84 weapons till now and more will follow in the coming days.
The police have forwarded these cases to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Uma Shankar Gupta, requesting permanent cancellation of the licences. The DC has sent show-cause notices to the owners to give them a chance to present valid reasons against the cancellation of these licences within 15 days.
Sources said the period was on the verge of elapsing and not many had filed their replies, following which the police will permanently cancel their licences.
In Punjab, acquiring a licence to possess a weapon is a touchy topic. The acquisition process starts with the DC followed by permissions from several departments, including health, which conducts a mandatory dope test, before the licence is issued. Several DCs claimed that they were pressured by ministers to sign the files. AAP Halqa incharges and local ruling party satraps were also known to ask DCs to sign files.
In the first phase of the drive, the police cancelled licences of people who had FIRs under Section 307 (attempt to murder) clamped against them. Likewise, licences of four other persons whose owners had cases under Section 302 (murder) against them were suspended, 48 were put on hold for violating the Arms Act and 17 for causing hurt.
