The action comes at a time when the opposition has carried out a united onslaught on the CM Bhagwant Mann-led government over the law and order situation
Days after cancelling the arms licences of almost a dozen Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh’s supporters, the Punjab government on Sunday claimed a major crackdown on the “gun violence” in the state, claiming to have cancelled over 800 such licences.
The action comes at a time when the opposition has carried out a united onslaught on the CM Bhagwant Mann-led government over the law and order situation.
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Senior minister Aman Arora said that the government has carried out a major drive against the gun-culture. “The licences have been issued for protection of families, law abiding citizens and not to those who indulge in violent activities or brandishing weapons. The earlier governments had issued licences without proper verification which led to misuse of fire-arms. Mann government has zero tolerance against such activities and we will continue to monitor them, said Arora.
Giving details about the cancellations, a government spokesman said that of the 800 cancelled licences, 87 were from Ludhiana Rural, 48 from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, 10 from Gurdaspur, 84 from Faridkot, 199 from Pathankot, 47 from Hoshiapur, 6 from Kapurthala, 235 from SAS Kasba, and 16 from Sangrur. The police has also cancelled arms licences of 27 people in Amritsar Commissionerate, and 11 from Jalandhar Commissionerate. In all, Arora said more than 2,000 arms licences so far been cancelled.
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Not just for those who have been using weapons for criminal acts, the government has also asked gun licence users to refrain from carrying and displaying weapons in public functions, religious places, marriage ceremonies or any other events in Punjab. “There will be a complete ban on glorification of violence and weapons. We will be carrying out a drive against such brazen display and will punish violators,” said Arora.
There are a total of 3,73,053 arms licences in Punjab. After coming to power, a year ago, the government has come under fire from the opposition over the law and order issue.
The killing of Congress leader and prominent singer Sidhu Moosewala in May last year led to huge public outcry, with the opposition alleging that the Mann government had lost control over the law and order machinery in the state.
The government has also been confronted with rival gang members attacking each other inside prisons.
