NEW DELHI: The number of gun licences in six northeastern states, including Meghalaya, stands above the national average per lakh despite peace returning to most parts of the region, according to a 2011 report.
Of Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh, the first is among five states which have the highest gun licences per lakh population.
Nagaland has over 38,966 licences. The other states are Jammu and Kashmir, which ranked the highest, followed by Arunachal Pradesh and Punjab.
In addition there are also many illicit and sophisticated small arms in circulation across the country for which India is ranked sixth with 6.3 small arms arsenal, according to a UN estimate. Experts on the illegal small arms trade say three out of four guns currently in use in India are unlicensed.
According to reports given in Parliament, these states accounted for 26 per cent of the population but have over 18 lakh gun licences.
According to the data of the Ministry of Home Affairs given to Parliament earlier this week, almost 13 per cent or 4.57 lakh licences were issued in the last three years, it added.
“A comparison with the 2011 Census shows that the national average for gun licences stood at 296 and 14 states, including the northeastern states, stood above the national average,” the report also stated.
In India, a district magistrate can grant an arms licence, which is valid across the country, to union ministers or MPs, security forces, officials of the All India Services, officers in the government or PSUs and for sports.
But more importantly Nagaland has emerged as a hub for issuing small arms licence at a time when use of small arms for private protection and as a status symbol has become a fashion in almost every part of the country. The state issued 15,550 licences between 1990 and 2005, out of which as many as 5,200 were meant for residents of other states.
Bogus gun licences, easily available in Nagaland, are also now becoming a major concern for internal security. The Nagaland government has now recalled hundreds of fake gun licences.
Security experts say the finding in Nagaland is only the tip of an iceberg. The number of small arms currently in circulation in the country has gone up manifold over the years.
