Bihar begins special drive against illegal firearms to check 'muscle power' during assembly polls

Patna: The Bihar government is making massive efforts to check illegal arms and ammunition, with the aim of curbing the use of muscle power in the run-up to the assembly elections, Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena said on Sunday.

Meena said the state government is also planning various changes to licensing regulations, including modulating the allocation of bullets and increasing their cost, to strengthen gun control measures.

"The district administrations and the police have launched a special drive to seize illegal weapons and unearth unauthorised arms manufacturing units, ahead of the assembly polls scheduled later this year. The drive is being carried out in a mission mode," he told PTI.

Meena said officers have also been directed to ensure strict scrutiny of the licensed weapons.

"Licenses of weapons are being verified, and officials have been asked to keep a close watch on licensed gun holders," he said.

"Review meetings will also be held at divisional headquarters to assess the outcome of the drive after six weeks. Along with me, the additional chief secretary (home), and the DGP will be present in the review meetings," he added.

On the recent incidents of shooting in the state, Meena said the matter is being monitored by the police headquarters, and instructions have already been given to deal with those who try to take the law into their own hands sternly.

"The state government is also implementing changes to firearms licensing regulations to strengthen gun control measures," he said.

Officers concerned have been directed to ensure that details of arms licenses are uploaded on the portal of the National Database of Arms Licenses-Arms License Issuance System (NDAL-ALIS) on an urgent basis, he said.

The district magistrates are the licensing authority for arms. All individual arms licences not uploaded on the NDAL-ALIS portal, developed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, are considered invalid, as per the rules.

On the new regulations being prepared to strengthen gun control measures in the state, Meena said, "Ammunition allocation for license holders will be substantially reduced from 200 rounds per year to an initial distribution of 25 rounds." "The cost of the bullet will also be increased. At present, the cost of each bullet is Rs 175 to Rs 200. Licensed holders will have to present used cartridge cases before receiving their next ammunition allocation," he said.

There are several licensed arms shops, which mostly remain closed, he said, adding that the licenses of these shops will be suspended.

The state witnessed a surge in incidents of shooting recently. In Patna alone, at least six people were killed in the last one week.