Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav orders quarterly inspection of gun houses in state

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 18

Close on the heels of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann directing a review of all the existing arms licenses to check gun culture, Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on Friday ordered a mandatory inspection of the shops, premises and stocks of all the gun houses on a quarterly basis across the state.

The DGP issued directions to all ranges IGsP/DIGs and all CPs/SSPs of the state, stating that rule 20.14 of Punjab Police Rules, 1934, authorises gazetted officers of the police to inspect the shops, premises, and stocks of all licensed manufactures and dealers under the Arms Act every quarter.

DGP Gaurav Yadav directed all the CPs/SSPs to ensure that DSPs/ACPs should mandatorily check the shops, premises and stocks of all gun houses falling in their sub divisions every quarter. Apart from this, the District Superintendent of Police is required to conduct at least one inspection each year, he added.

It is noteworthy that while Punjab has only 2 per cent of India’s population, it has nearly 10 per cent of the total licensed weapons which stand at nearly 4 lakh, or there are 13 gun licenses for every 1,000 persons in Punjab.

There is a huge influx of illegal weapons from across the international border and the inter-state borders from states like UP, Bihar and MP. Although the weapons are illegally procured by anti-social elements, the ammunition is mostly pilfered from local gun houses of Punjab.

Meanwhile, CPs/SSPs have also been asked to send district-wise quarterly reports to the Armament Branch of the Provisioning Wing, while, all the Range IGPS/DIGs were told to monitor compliance.