Latest news with #ArmsAct
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Two arrested for attacking former serviceman in Bathinda
The Bathinda police arrested two criminals for attacking an ex-serviceman Ranvir Singh at Bhai Bakhtaur village in the district. Ranvir, who is being treated at Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh Civil Hospital, told reporters that he was attacked for objecting to the activities of drug traffickers. As per the police, the main accused Kuldeep Singh has two criminal cases of drug trafficking and another two cases under Excise Act. Other accused Gurpreet Singh is facing a case under Arms Act in Ferozepur. They have been booked under Section 109 (attempt to murder), 126 (2) (wrongful restraint) and other sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) by the Kotfatta police authorities. Superintendent of police (rural) Heena Gupta said that the victim and accused belonged to the same village and they had an old mutual enmity. 'Both parties clashed earlier too and the matter was registered in the police records as well. Ranvir was attacked by the accused last evening in which the victim suffered multiple injuries in his legs,' she added.
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Amritsar: Extortion module with BKI links busted, 2 arrested
The Punjab Police on Sunday claimed to have dismantled a terror and extortion module linked to Jeevan Fauji, an operative of Pakistan's ISI-backed Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), with the arrest of two of his associates. The accused have been identified as Karajpreet Singh alias Karaj, 23, of Vairowal in Tarn Taran and Gurlal Singh alias Harman, 23, of Goindwal Sahib in Tarn Taran. Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said Fauji has been running an extortion racket, targeting individuals in Punjab's border districts. He had provided a .30 bore pistol to Karajpreet and Gurlal, and directed them to fire at a furniture shop in Amritsar to extort money from the relative of the owner based in Canada. The weapon, along with a live cartridge, was recovered from the accused's possession. The motorcycle used in the crime has also been seized. Sharing operational details, Amritsar police commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said both the accused were arrested during an intelligence-led operation from Tarn Taran and Fazilka. He said during a follow-up recovery operation in Sultanwind, accused Gurlal Singh attempted to open fire at the police party. Police retaliated, resulting in a bullet injury to Gurlal's left leg, he said, adding that the injured accused was immediately shifted to the civil hospital in Amritsar, where he is undergoing treatment. A case under Sections 109 (attempt to murder), 324(4) (mischief that causes loss or damage between ₹20,000 and ₹1,00,000) and 3(5) (criminal act is done by several persons in furtherance of the common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act was registered.
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Pimpri-Chinchwad police nab three, seize five pistols and 20 live rounds
The Pimpri-Chinchwad Police on Friday arrested three individuals and seized five country-made pistols along with 20 live cartridges from their possession. The accused have been identified as Umesh Kedari, Manthan alias Guddu Ashok Satkar and Vishal Khanekar. According to officials, the arrests were made in Talegaon Dabhade after the police received a tip-off about illegal arms trading activity. Acting swiftly on the information, a team from the Crime Branch Police laid a trap and intercepted a grey-coloured car without a licence plate. During the search, police recovered five country-made pistols and 20 live rounds, two empty magazines, three mobile phones, and a car total of ₹8.56 lakh. Preliminary investigations suggest that the weapons were meant to be used for criminal activities, including extortion and intimidation. Speaking on the development, a senior police official said, 'We have recovered five country-made pistols and 20 live rounds from the accused. This is a breakthrough in curbing the circulation of illegal weapons in the Pimpri Chinchwad area.' A case has been registered under the Arms Act and other relevant sections of the BNS. The arrested individuals are currently in police custody, and more arrests are likely in the coming days.
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Former MP Rizwan Zaheer found enjoying luxuries in Lalitpur jail
Lucknow: In a serious breach of prison regulations, jailed former MP Rizwan Zaheer was found to be living in VIP comfort during an inspection at Lalitpur District Jail on Sunday. The raid, conducted by District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) secretary Mayank Jaiswal, revealed luxury items and banned goods inside Zaheer's high-security barrack, including cash hidden under his pillow. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The inspection team also recovered a comfortable mattress; branded food products like desi ghee and sweets; pickles; expensive toiletries including branded soap, shampoo, and cream; tiffin boxes; cooking oil; and even a battery-operated fan. The use of high-end crockery and the alleged preparation of VIP meals in a separate barrack raised serious concerns. Terming the incident a grave violation of prison norms, additional inspector general (Prisons) Dharmendra Singh said, "Given the seriousness of the matter, a fact-finding report was ordered and submitted by the DIG, Prisons, Kanpur Range. Action is being taken against the officials responsible." The report, sent to prison headquarters, outlines procedural lapses and names jail staff suspected of allowing illegal items to be smuggled into the barrack. Departmental action is underway against at least four prison personnel, including a warder and a deputy jailor. Jail superintendent Mukesh Kumar claimed that Zaheer, a heart patient, was advised by doctors to sleep on a soft mattress. He acknowledged that cash was found but claimed the amount was Rs 7,500. Zaheer, a former Samajwadi Party MP from Balrampur and a known history-sheeter from Harraiya, has been lodged in jail since July 2022 in connection with the murder conspiracy of former Tulshipur Nagar Panchayat chairman Firoz Ahmad alias Pappu. He faces 14 serious charges, including murder, attempt to murder, Arms Act violations, and Gangster Act cases.
The Hindu
12 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Wrong call: On Assam and arming civilians
The decision by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Assam government to issue arms licences to 'eligible' indigenous communities in remote and vulnerable areas in the State is fraught with danger. The State government seems to suggest that indigenous communities living in the border areas abutting Bangladesh are vulnerable and that armed licences would be a deterrent and improve their personal safety and confidence. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has also insisted that these grants would not be for people near inter-State borders in Assam. But these caveats still do not take away from the fact that arming specific civilian groups is liable to be rampantly misused for acts such as vigilantism and inter-community rivalry, as the lines between law enforcement — which carries legal authority and has a monopoly over armed instruments — and private citizens are blurred. In a State that has been beset with insurgent violence and where the threat from groups such as the ULFA (Independent) remains, introducing more arms into civilian hands risks propagating further violence and arms proliferation rather than ensuring enhanced security. Instead of arming civilians, ostensibly for self-defence — a move akin to abdicating its core responsibility — the State government has the clear alternative of enhancing its own law enforcement and security presence in these 'vulnerable areas'. It is well understood that in modern states, the monopoly over instruments of violence will remain with the government and its law enforcement agencies. In India, arms licences are issued in a restricted manner as a delegated and a limited right to self-preservation to select individuals through a stringent licensing process under the Arms Act, 1959 and the Arms Rules, 2016. These rules under the law preclude the provision of such licences to larger, identified groups — where identification itself could be fraught with the risk of conflicts — as they not only present administrative challenges but also make it difficult for the government to license, monitor and recover firearms as the law requires it to. Arming civilian groups, even with an intention to do so with some stringent implementation, runs the risks of having these weapons entering grey markets and falling into the wrong hands, besides designating those groups with an authority that could backfire on the state. This was evident when security forces in Chhattisgarh arming civilian groups for protection against the Maoist threat — in the Salwa Judum campaign in the late 2000s — led to severe human rights violations and lawlessness, before the Supreme Court of India intervened to deem the policy to be illegal. Considering these problems, Assam must reverse its decision.
