Ex-servicemen, senior citizens excluded from dope tests

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday exempted ex-servicemen and senior citizens from a mandatory dope test for issuance and renewal of their arms licences.

The decision was taken in response to a request from ex-servicemen and senior citizens groups, according to an official spokesperson.

Many of them had been in possession of arms licences for decades.

The chief minister agreed that they were fit cases for exemption, considering their track record and their age, the spokesperson said.

The decision comes about six weeks after the state government decided to make it mandatory for all applications to undergo a compulsory dope test to qualify for a weapon licence, he said.