Leaders Hold On To Their Guns

IN a flip-flop following pressure from stakeholders, including MPs, Parliament passed the Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2019, on December 10, with a key provision diluted.

- Jyotika Sood

Instead of reducing the maximum number of firearms for which licence can be issued to an individual from three to one, as the bill originally envisaged, Parliament settled for two as the new limit. Had the limit been reduced to one, it would have affected defence minister Rajnath Singh, agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar, social justice minister Thawar Chand Gehlot and food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

“Owning multiple weapons was a necessity in an era of poor communication facilities when police stations were few and far away, and the amendment reflects the changed realities of our society,” said home minister Amit Shah, adding that the bill was uploaded for comments a month ago and changes were made based on the feedback received.

According to data collated from affidavits filed for the 2019 general elections, over 18 per cent of Lok Sabha MPs have firearms. The weapons, including both India-made and imported, cost Rs 4,000 to Rs 7 lakh as per the affidavits. “The prices must have been underestimated, though it can be ascertained only by looking at the condition of the guns,” says a senior IPS officer who didn’t wish to be identified. Jagdambika Pal (BJP), Asaduddin Owaisi (All-India Majlis-eIttehadul Muslimeen), Ajay Nishad (BJP), Mohammed Azam Khan (Samajwadi Party) and Ram Shiromani (BSP) are among the MPs who have more than one licensed weapon. Shiromani, who represents Uttar Pradesh’s Shrawasti constituency in the Lok Sabha, says the home minister has not cleared if the provision of two firearms is only for people applying for new licences or also for those like him who already have three licences.