As many as 30 of over 1,000 licensed firearms have already been surrendered in Jamshedpur in accordance with a district administration order, a routine procedure followed in the run-up to elections as a security measure, while in capital Ranchi that has around 5,000 licensed arms, the process began on Thursday.
Ranchi firearms magistrate Rajesh Kumar said licensed firearms holders would be required to surrender their weapons by March 2. “There are about 5,000 registered firearms licence holders in Ranchi. We have given 10 days’ time for those who have licensed guns or pistols to surrender them,” Kumar told The Telegraph, adding that the total number of firearms surrendered would be known only after March 2.
In Jamshedpur, the East Singhbhum district administration issued the arms surrender directive on February 16.
Firearms magistrate Ranjana Mishra said there were 1,496 licensed firearms in Jamshedpur. “In keeping with the state election commissioner’s instructions, we have asked firearms owners to surrender their guns or pistols to a registered gun store and then submit the receipt to the local thana by February 25,” Mishra said.
She said the exact number of firearms surrendered during the stipulated 10-day period would be known later.
Ranchi fire arms magistrate said it was for the first time that the arms surrender process was being conducted before the announcement of elections. Usually, the process is launched after the declaration of elections.
State election commissioner N.N. Pandey said they had started the process of surrendering firearms as per directives of chief election commissioner Sunil Arora, who held a meeting in Ranchi in January.
“The election commissioner must have taken the decision to ensure the law and order situation remains in control during the Lok Sabha polls,” he said.
The process, being conducted across districts, will be completed by the first week of March. Pandey clarified that those who did not want to surrender their licensed firearms because of personal security reasons were free to petition the firearms magistrate. “We will definitely consider such petitions,” he said.
AT Daw & Co, among the registered arms merchants of Jamshedpur, declined to reveal the number of guns or pistols surrendered so far.
OC of Bistupur police station Srineevas refused to give out numbers too. “It is mandatory for firearms holders to surrender their firearms before the elections. But revealing the number of firearms surrendered may jeopardise the lives of those who keep licensed firearms,” he said.