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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday announced the launch of an online portal through which “indigenous citizens” living in “vulnerable and remote areas” can apply for arms licences. Here’s all you need to know.
In May, the Assam cabinet had approved a ‘Special Scheme for Grant of Arms Licenses to Original Inhabitants and Indigenous Indian Citizens in Vulnerable and Remote Areas of Assam’ with the rationale that possession of firearms would enable “indigenous citizens” to protect themselves from “demographic and security challenges.”
On Thursday, during the launch of the new portal, Sarma reiterated the government’s rationale to ease the access to arms in certain parts of the state.
“If I live near the India-Bangladesh border or an inter-state boundary area, or I live in a vulnerable area where my community’s population is very small…X community is 90-95% of the population and Y is 5%, and culturally, economically, historically, the communities have had tensions. Then a small incident can also trigger a situation where the 95% community can attack the 5% community, burn their houses, and various incidents can happen.
“A police station will have 6-12 constables for reinforcements to come from the district headquarters, it can take 2-3 hours. In those 2-3 hours, I will have to defend myself. And if people know that this person or house possesses a firearm, that itself will act as a deterrent,” he said.
He called the new portal an effort to make citizens “first responders” in law-and-order situations in remote areas.
Who all are eligible to apply for this?
The eligibility criteria for the grant of licences through this portal are that the applicant must be “an indigenous citizen from Assam,” must be at least 21 years old, must reside in a “vulnerable and remote area,” must not have a criminal background or pending cases, must be “physically and mentally fit,” and must have a training certificate under the Arms Rules, 2016.
On the portal, which is part of the Assam government’s citizen digital services portal Sewa Setu, applicants need to attest to an eligibility declaration that they are an “original inhabitant” and that “I reside in a vulnerable or remote area and genuinely perceive a threat to my life and safety due to regional vulnerabilities.”
While “vulnerable areas” are not clearly defined under the application process, Sarma specifically mentioned regions where Bengali-origin Muslims are in the majority as examples of these.
The portal requires an applicant to specify their identity, providing the broad headings of Scheduled Tribe (Plain), Scheduled Tribe (Hill), Scheduled Caste, Hill Tribes in Plains, Plain Tribe in Hills, Other Backward Classes or Others, and lists the different communities under each heading.
Among other things, they also need to justify their “need for a licence.”
What does the process entail?
Applicants will need to attest that they have no criminal background or pending case against them, and that they have a safe space to store a firearm. Among the documents they will need to provide digitally are proof of date of birth, identity, residence and caste certificates, firearms training certificate, an undertaking on safe use and storage of arms, medical certificates about their mental health and physical fitness, and Aadhaar card.
Sarma said that the government in various districts will create a list of “accredited” people who can provide training to applicants, giving instances of retired police officers and Army officers.
An arms licence issued through this process will be valid for a period of five years.
The acquisition of arms in India is governed by Arms Rules, 2016 framed under the Arms Act, 1959. “No person shall acquire, have in his possession, or carry any firearm or ammunition unless he holds in his behalf a licence issued in accordance with the provisions of this Act and the rules made thereunder,” the 1959 Act says.
Schedule I of the Arms Rules provides a list of prohibited, restricted and permitted arms and ammunition. Those in the prohibited and restricted categories are difficult, if not impossible, to acquire legally, and licences in for such arms and ammunition are directly governed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
Licences for arms and ammunition in the permissible category, however, are governed by State governments. As such, rules for obtaining such arms can differ widely from state to state, and State governments have the authority to reframe licence requirements as long as their rules do not run afoul of the Centre’s Arms Rules.
