A licence for what? Kill?

There have been three instances of firing in the city in the past fortnight. While Dr Naresh, a surgeon, shot dead a burglar who broke into his house in Jubilee Hills, the other two incidents are more worrisome -- a gang of robbers opened fire on the Madhapur police during a cat and mouse chase at the Kondapur junction and close on the heels of this, came a businessman Sanjay Kumar Pande’s drunken revelry at Bowenpally. Are these isolated incidents or do they point to a section of the population that’s trigger happy? Dr Naresh, who’s also a professional shooter, shot at the burglar as the latter was running for his life. Sanjay Kumar Pande fired in the air simply to celebrate. And the three-member robbers’ gang opened fire to escape from the police. Though unconfirmed reports suggest that owning a firearm is a matter of prestige for hot shots in the twin cities, police dismiss any such notion. “Such things happen in rural areas where the landlord wants to hold a weapon for the sake of prestige. Not in the city,” asserts Mahesh Bhagwat, Joint Commissioner of Police (Administration). According to him, in the past five years, 4,773 arms licences have been issued and at present, there are 6,067 licensed weapons in the city. For each licence, a person is permitted to own 3 weapons. He says most of these licences are given for sports purposes. “A few have weapons left by their fathers and forefathers. They keep it for the sake of sentiment. There are others who apply for licences for personal security such as jewellers and those in construction business. As far as I know, most do not get to use these weapons even once in their lifetime,” the top cop explains. The problem, however, is not just about increased gun licences. Following the sudden spurt in firing incidents, the police are focusing on curbing illegal firearms in the city. Ch Ram Chander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Task Force, concedes that the number of crimes committed using illegal weapons is on the rise but points out that compared to other cities in the country, the city is relatively safe in this regard. “Some, who come from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, are involved in illegal weapons’ supply business. We have already set up a few teams to inquire into illegal weapons sales in the twin cities,” he explains. A few dealers from UP and Bihar reportedly sell arms through their agents in the city. It’s estimated that at least 400 illegal weapons have been sold in the city in the last one year alone. Sources said customers pay five per cent of the total cost as advance after which an order is placed and the weapon is delivered in 10 days. In the wake of the attack on MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi, most of the corporators, political leaders and businessmen applied for gun licences. But as many as 100 licences were also cancelled after the incident, points out Mahesh Bhagwat. “Even those who have a licence should not open fire without a valid reason. The police have the right to take stern action,” says Ram Chander.

By Mouli Mareedu/Shruthi H M 

moulimareedu@gmail.com