Arms licenses scandal

State Governor N.N. Vohra is finding it difficult to handle the letters by Rajasthan police’s Anti-Terror Squad (ATS), probing the arms licenses issued to the tune of 4.29 lakh people from various districts of Jammu and Kashmir State in past one decade. Previously ATS Rajasthan got no response from the top civil and police officials of J&K State and most of the times their letters were either replied with one answer that all the records in Srinagar have been wiped by the flood of 2014 or they were told that they cannot be given information under Indian Penal Code (IPC) as the J&K State was operating Ranbir Penal Code (RPC).

Recently State Governor N.N. Vohra directed all District Magistrates of J&K State to take urgent steps to furnish all records regarding the issuance of arms licenses in the last year. They have been told to submit their reports within one month. The Governor has also directed the district authorities in entire J&K State not to issue any further arms licenses till the government does not give any consent through some communication.

It all started in the year 2017 when ATS Rajasthan sent lot of letters to then Chief Secretary B.B. Vyas and to Police Chief S.P. Vaid and both of them refused to share any information with them. Reports said that Rajasthan ATS officials in the year 2017 camped in Srinagar, but they were not given any information to go ahead with their investigations. Senior J&K officials were involved and they were trying to hide the information as the arms licenses scandal was too huge and many heads will roll if it is probed.

It would be very interesting to note that how Governor’s administration will respond now to the ATS of Rajasthan in the coming days. If there is complete cooperation from the State administration, many heads will roll in the J&K Administration as many high officials are allegedly involved in this huge arms licenses scandal.