Action followed MHA’s fresh instructions
Bivek Mathur
JAMMU, Dec 7: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has initiated the process to target the firearm dealers allegedly involved in the arms license scam.
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To begin with, the District Administration here sealed four gun shops in Shiv Nagar area near the Railway Station, and it is believed that total 55 such units will be closed in the district in a phased manner.
As per sources, the action was taken after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India, on the recommendations of the Central Bureau of Investigation-the agency probing the gun license scam-directed the J&K Government in November 2024 to proceed against all the firearm dealers in the district, who allegedly connived with various retired as well as in-service District Magistrates to issue lakhs of arms licenses to ineligible beneficiaries, mostly defence personnel, between 2012 and 2016.
“In Jammu District, total 55 arms dealers have been identified by the CBI for their involvement in arms license scam,” an official said.
“As the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, has categorically asked the J&K Government to close all the 55 units, the Jammu Administration proceeded against 4 of them today. Rest of the units will also be closed in a phased manner,” the official said.
According to the official, the licenses of 18 firearms dealers have already been rejected for renewal by the J&K Government as they are categorised as “not fit for renewal” on the recommendations of the CBI.
Meanwhile, the District Magistrate of Jammu, Sachin Kumar Vaishya, today issued an order directing all the firearm license holders of the district to comply with the provisions of the Arms (Amendment) Act, 2019.
According to the Act, no individual is permitted to possess more than two firearms.
As per the order, the identified license holders with more than two firearms have been asked to surrender their additional weapons within one week.
“These license holders are instructed to deposit their other firearm at the nearest police station or authorised unit armoury, in the case of Armed Forces members of the union,” the order issued by the DC Jammu said.
Upon surrender, they must also ensure proper endorsement on their licenses to avoid cancellation and further legal action under the Arms Act, it said.
The order further said that non-compliance with the order will lead to immediate cancellation of licenses, with stringent action initiated against defaulters.
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