Crackdown on gun culture: Punjab freezes new arms licences after ED red flags

The Punjab government has suspended the issuance of new arms licences in response to allegations of irregularities and concerns raised by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Chief Secretary K A P Sinha delivered oral instructions to all deputy commissioners, emphasizing apprehensions over possible considerations influencing the issuance of arms licences to individuals throughout the state.

While renewal of existing licences continues as usual, new licences are temporarily halted. The state's move comes following a July letter from the ED highlighting anomalies, including an instance where an alleged middleman approached a Superintendent of Police (SSP) to expedite an individual's arms licence application. Despite comprising only 2% of India's population, Punjab holds nearly 10% of the civilian firearms, with around 3.46 lakh active licence holders collectively possessing over 4.3 lakh registered weapons.