Home minister orders DCs to be more proactive in recovering illegal firearms

Home minister Salahuddin Ahmed has ordered the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) to be more proactive in recovering illegal firearms. 

He said that about 10,000 licensed firearms given for political considerations during the previous government’s tenure have not yet been deposited. Instructions have been given to quickly recover and confiscate those weapons.

The Home minister told reporters after the third session of the fourth and final day of the DC conference at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital on Wednesday. 

He said that even after the deadline for depositing licensed weapons after the interim government took office, a large portion of the weapons are still at the field level. The field administration has been instructed to be proactive in recovering the weapons, taking legal action against those concerned and filing cases if necessary.

In addition to recovering firearms, the Home minister has ordered the Deputy Commissioners to follow a zero tolerance policy against drugs, extortion and online gambling. 

He said that in order to maintain the balance of society, it is important to stop the use of illegal weapons as well as the spread of drugs. Work is underway to formulate a new law to prevent money laundering and social degradation in the country, especially through online gambling.

Salahuddin Ahmed said that the process of cancelling the licences of weapons that were issued from January 2009 to August 5, 2024 without regard to political considerations or policies is underway. 

Verification will be completed through a district-level committee and only those licences that are proven to be defective will be confiscated by the government, he said.

However, valid licence holders issued before 2009 will get their weapons back through a proper process.

Urging the police and district administration to work in a coordinated manner at the field level, the Home minister said that no laxity will be tolerated in maintaining law and order and regular operations will continue to recover illegal weapons to ensure public safety. 

He mentioned that preventing the spread of illegal weapons is one of the priorities of the current government to maintain the law and order situation normal and restore peace in the public mind.