The killing of a pregnant dancer of an orchestra troop at a wedding in
Punjab on Saturday points out at a deeper rot of trigger-happy people in the state which has an estimate of nearly four times more firearms than its police.
The gun-toting culture has often resulted in celebratory firing, fatal incidents of roadrage and criminal activities. Despite having just about 2.3 % of the country’s population, Punjab is second only to Uttar Pradesh when it comes to licenced firearms.
The number of licenced weapons in Punjab has seen a surge since 2012 from about 3.50 lakh to nearly 5 lakh in the current year. The state has nearly 20% of the total licensed weapons in the country.
The trend is alarming. Licence holders often have more than one firearms which add up to the number of weapons in circulation.
A few districts in the state figured in the list of top 50 districts in the country with the maximum arms licences.
The gun used in the killing of the dancer on the stage in Bathinda was not licensed in the name of the accused, Billa, who is still on the run.
The “fetish” for firearms in Punjab notwithstanding its misuse has always been a cause of concern.
According to a source, there are as many as 52 armed gangs in the state. Gangsters often flaunted their profile pictures with guns. The extensive use of guns by a group of men in the Nabha jailbreak last Sunday, when six inmates – including four gangsters and two terrorists – manged to escape the high security prison, is a chilling reminder of the misuse of the firearms – licenced or otherwise.
Punjab goes to assembly polls early next year. Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh in communique on Monday urged the Election Commission to crack down on the proliferation of arms in the state ahead of polls.
Pointing out that no action had been taken against the 52 armed gangs which the DGP himself had admitted to being active in the state, Capt Amarinder alleged that the brazen lawlessness prevailing in the state was continuously getting exacerbated as the elections were nearing.
He has urged the EC to immediately intervene and come down heavily on the growing gun culture in the state.
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