J&K magistrates cancel gun licenses of Amritpal’s aide

Jammu: The magistrates of Kishtwar and Ramban districts cancelled arms licenses of two bodyguards accompanying Waris Punjab De chief and pro-Khalistan Sikh leader Amritpal Singh.
As per sources, the licenses of Talwinder Singh and Virender Singh, bodyguards of Amritpal Singh were issued in Kishtwar and Ramban districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources said that both the licenses were issued for personal safety but found violating the rules as they were found protecting someone by becoming their bodyguards. The officials added that weapons were also procured from the Union Territory and were given licenses for self-defense.
Police sources said that since the attack on Ajnala police station in Amritsar, Punjab Police have swung into action and identified 10 associates of Amritpal Singh, who accompanied him with weapons.
According, Punjab police found that all these 10 armed men had arms licenses issued for self-defense and not for the protection of others.
“Soon as this matter came into limelight, its investigation was started in Punjab. During the course of investigation, it was found that the licenses of two of these people, Talwinder Singh and Virender Singh were made in Kishtwar and Ramban,” sources said.
Sources said that Punjab police contacted deputy commissioner Ramban and Kishtwar.
“The DC’s immediately held investigations and found that both licenses have been issued for personal safety but it was found that both of them are working as bodyguards, which is a violation of the rules,” sources maintained, “The violations prompt authorities to cancel both the licenses with immediate effect.”
Pertinently, a major gun license scam surfaced in Jammu and Kashmir where several district magistrates in collusion with arms dealers had issued illegal gun licenses between 2012-2018.
Over 2.78 lakh illegal gun licences have been issued by district magistrates for money, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said In a statement, the CBI said, which is probing arms licence racket.
The arms licence racket was first unearthed by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Rajasthan Police in 2017 after they found criminals with licensed weapons issued by bureaucrats in Jammu and Kashmir. The ATS had also found over 3,000 licences were given in the name of Army personnel based on fake documents. The then Governor NN Vohra handed over the case to CBI.

Updated On 3/18/2023 2:43:56 AM