Guns/ Arms/ Firearms: India
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Firearm accidents
Illegal fireams industry
Illegal arms factories within 200km of Delhi
As if illegal weapon manufacturing modules in Meerut, Munger and Madhya Pradesh were not enough, such factories are now being unearthed in UP and the bordering areas of Delhi as well. A number of factories are apparently being run within the 200km radius of the capital. Last mont h, the eastern range police had busted one right on the Delhi-UP border.
The ease with which a cri minal can procure a weapon is alarming, officers said. In the first six months of this year, the number of cases, seized weapons and arrests -all have gone up, the police data reveal.
Till June 15, around 468 weapons were seized. It crosses the 500 mark if the 37 weapons seized by the Special Cell in the last two days are added to it. In the whole of 2016, 301 weapons were seized.
Till June 15, 390 cases have been registered compared to 315 during the same period last year.
The uninterrupted supply of bullets is also worrying the police. DCP (Special Cell) Sanjeev Yadav said 180 cartridges were seized in the recent bust. While guns can be locally made, the bullets can't be. They are illegally sourced from ordnance factories and authorised arms dealers, officers said.
Last year, the Special Cell had found Maoist links to these modules as well. The UP gangs were found lending carriers and logistical support in return of raw material and workers. In the past five years, the Khargone group from MP has spread its roots and surpassed the conventional hubs like Munger and Meerut.
“The demand for illegal weapons is high in Delhi.Gangs of outer, southwest and west Delhi buy them not only for their criminal activities but also to strengthen their land-grabbing rackets,“ said a senior officer.
Besides phone calls, gunrunners even have a weaponon-demand facility under which arms and bullets are available through text and WhatsApp messages.
The latter is preferred as the customer gets to see photos of the arms. He can even post the picture of a desired weapon for a replica. The buyers even get heavy discounts on bulk purchase and can take the delivery as per their convenience.
Arms made in India
Rifle Factory Ishapore
Nidar, 250 gm revolver
The Times of India Feb 02 2016
Arvind Chauhan
Boosting the `Make in India' initiative, Rifle Factory Ishapore has indigenously developed the country's lightest revolver, `Nidar' which weighs a mere 250 gm, half the weight of an earlier model Nirbheek', which was exclusively designed for women.
According to officials, the idea behind creating Nidar was to arm office-going professional men and women, so that they can defend themselves on city streets. The premier Indian small arms manufacturer will launch the revolver on February 2. “The .22 calibre Nidar is the lightest revolver ever made in India, with the cheapest price tag of Rs 35,000. It is capable of firing eight rounds loaded in a revolving chamber, compared to Nirbheek, which has a six-round capacity ,“ said PK Aggarwal, officer-in-charge of Rifle Factory Ishapore.
The weapon, said the factory's public relations officer SS Naskar, can be carried in a small purse, handbag or even trouser and jacket pockets.
When TOI asked local offi ce-going women for their opinion on the new lightweight revolver, they expressed interest and excitement. “I will definitely buy one, as I often face miscreants chasing my car.However, I will need training to fire the weapon,“ said Deeksha Singh, who works with a finance company .
Firearms licensees, state-wise
Uttar Pradesh: districts with a gun culture
Shalabh, Jan 24, 2017: The Times of India
Infamous for violent election battles, civilians hold almost five times more firearms than the police department in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. The state accounts for the highest number of firearms licensees in the country (10.76 lakh), followed by Punjab (4.50 lakh) and Madhya Pradesh (2.70 lakh).In contrast, 2.50 lakh police personnel have about 2.25 lakh weapons to use.
Gearing up for the elections, the police department recently carried out a survey to identify arms licence-holders across all the 75 districts in the state. It was found that in 14 districts, arms licences have been issued to more than 20,000 people. The situation seems more alarming in west UP where the number of people with arms licences is quite high.
TOI found gun culture was most prevalent in Yadav bastions with density of guntoting people being the highest in Etah and Mainpuri districts. So while in Kanpur one in 168 individuals possesses a gun, in Etah and Mainpuri one in 58 and one in 77, respectively , flaunt guns.
Contrary to the perception that the gun culture is not so popular in Awadh region, which is considered urbanized compared to Poorvanchal, Bundelkhand, Rohilkhand and west UP (upper, middle and lower Doab), in Lucknow one in 81 individuals has an arms licence. “More than security , guns are used as a status symbol in UP . In the Chambal region, people are so obsessed that they often sell their land to buy rifles. A person without a gun is considered an outcast in some villages,“ said former DGP Shri Ram Arun.
Between September 2015 and February 2016, 12 cases of violence were reported in UP during panchayat polls.According to the Association of Democratic Reforms, 340 candidates with serious criminal cases against them, such as murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, robbery , extortion etc, were in the fray in the 2012 assembly polls.
DGP S Javeed Ahmad said, “We have been cautious while dealing with applicants for the past one year. Those seeking licences as family heir are the only ones that have been entertained. The numbers of licence-holders has come down.“
