Assam introduces special scheme to grant arms licences to indigenous residents in sensitive areas

New Indian Express

3 days ago

GUWAHATI: The Assam government on Thursday launched a special scheme for granting arms licences to 'original inhabitants and Indian indigenous citizens' living in 'sensitive' areas of the state.
After launching the initiative, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that arms licences, not arms, would be given to responsible citizens so they could aid the government in maintaining peace. He described it as a 'religious and politically neutral' scheme.
'Assam has many sensitive areas where indigenous people often live under insecurity. It takes a lot of time to respond to any law and order or other emergency situations in such remote places. If we can use the locals as first responders, we can tackle the situations,' Sarma said.
Stating that using citizens as first responders is an established norm under the law, he said while the government would issue the arms licences, it would be the responsibility of the citizens to purchase arms.
'There is no sensationalism. It is a routine exercise of government power,' he said.
Sarma added that an arms licence would be issued only after it was verified that the applicant was mentally stable and did not have any criminal antecedents.
'We will first check why a man needs an arm – if he lives on the Bangladesh or interstate border, or in a vulnerable area where people from his community have a small population and he is not capable of defending himself without an arm before the arrival of the police in the event of communal or ethnic violence. The person will have to prove why he is vulnerable,' the chief minister said.