Amdavadis get licence to harm and kill

“We have to seize the fire-arms first and send them to the Forensic Science Laboratory to make sure whether the weapon was used for firing. However, till we arrest the culprits, we cannot seize the revolvers used by them,” a senior city police official, requesting anonymity, told The Indian Express.

The increasing frequency of such incidents has forced Deputy Police Commissioner (License) Samiullah Ansari to issue an internal circular to tighten up the licensing procedure.

In the last one year, 20 licences for 12 bore guns and around 70 licences for small non-prohibited weapons were issued. “As we have now started issuing fire-arms only after thorough verification of the applicant’s background and motive, the number of applicants being issued licences has decreased in the last few months,” Ansari said. He also said that issuing of gun licences to those seeking jobs as security guards has been drastically cut.

“What is adding to our woes is that none of the culprits who opened fire could be brought to book or arrested as they had obtained licences either due to strong political clout or association with top administration officials. As a result they managed to go scot-free,” police officials said.

Police officials say an increase in the number of persons seeking licences for personal arms in the last three years is posing another major problem. Joint Commissioner of Police B J Gadhvi says with business rivalries on the rise, more people are opting for personal arms and their presence is manifest when they sometimes lose control at `spirited’ parties or blow their lid during arguments and pull the trigger.

“Earlier, the procedure for acquiring an arms’ licence was not very stringent. Except for prohibited fire-arms, we used to issue licences quite liberally. But some recent incidents have forced us to become strict,” said a police official.

“Possessing a revolver or pistol has become a status symbol these days and most applicants asking for small arms are from the upper class,” Assistant Commissioner of Police R J Savani said.