Amidst the prevailing confusion over the Punjab Police’s crackdown on the gun culture, the State Government on Tuesday clarified that no restriction has been imposed neither on the issuance of arms licenses nor on carrying them for self-defense.
“There is not any restriction on the issuance of new arms licenses and carrying them for the purpose of self-defense in the State,” clarified the state Inspector General of Police (IGP), Headquarters, Sukhchain Singh Gill. Clearing the air over the confusion created about the drive against the glorification of arms, IGP Gill said that a person can carry his or her licensed weapon, but should not glorify or display it in a way to threaten someone.
He said that, similarly, new arms licenses are being issued on a merit basis considering threat perception after proper verification.
Notably, the drive against the glorification of weapons had been launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to curb the trend. Under this drive, verification of licensed weapons is being carried out, besides verifying the addresses of licensees. The people were given 72 hours window period to remove their pictures with firearms from social media platforms to stop this glorification of the weapons.
Apart from this, strict action is being taken against hate crimes, said the IGP, adding that all Commissioners of Police and the Senior Superintendents of Police have been asked to adopt zero tolerance against hate mongers, who deliberately try to destroy the social fabric of society.
301 drug smugglers held within a week
Amid the ongoing decisive war against drugs, Punjab Police have arrested 301 drug smugglers or suppliers after registering 231 first information reports (FIRs), including 23 commercial, under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act across the state in the past week. Gill, addressing his weekly press conference on Tuesday, said that the Police have also recovered 4.18 kg heroin, 6.46 kg opium, 37 kg ganja, 10 quintals of poppy husk, and 71,000 tablets, capsules, injections or vials of pharma opioids besides recovering Rs 7.45 lakhs drug money from their possession.
Total 459 POs, absconders in NDPS cases arrested till date
IGP Gill said that with 15 more Proclaimed Offenders (POs) or absconders in the NDPS cases arrested in the past week, the total number of arrests reached 459 since the special drive to arrest POs or absconders was started on July 5, 2022.
