There is a lot of uproar in Bhojpur after the Bharat Tiwari encounter. The government is on the back foot. Apart from the opposition, she is also surrounded by criticism from her own people. NDA’s own leaders are raising questions on this encounter. CM Samrat Chaudhary has ordered a judicial inquiry into the encounter of Bharat Tiwari. 6 policemen have also been suspended.
Actually, on June 18, a video went viral on social media. In this, a young man named Bharat Tiwari from Bhojpur is seen showing anger against the police administration with a weapon in his hand. In the last part of the video, he is seen throwing his weapon in front of the police. But what happened after this tarnished the credibility of Bihar Police and became a thorn in the side of the Bihar government. Actually, the police encountered Bharat Tiwari.
According to the police, the pistol seen in Bharat Tiwari’s hand in the video was also illegal. The question is whether people in Bihar have such easy access to illegal weapons? If so, what are the reasons behind it? How the illegal arms network works in the state. Also, it has a deep connection with murder, extortion, kidnapping for ransom, robbery, dacoity, bank robbery and street criminal incidents in the state.
Headlines
- Bihar has consistently been among the top five states in terms of violent crimes between 2017 and 2022.
- From 2015 to 2024, Bihar Police recovered an average of 3,628 illegal weapons and 17,239 ammunition every year.
- 2015-2024 The number of illegal gun manufacturing factories increased from 13 in 2018 to 70 in 2023.
How did criminal incidents increase in Bihar due to illegal weapons?
In the report of the State Crime Records Bureau from 2015 to 2024, Bihar Police has admitted that the increasing sale of illegal arms and ammunition is a major reason for the increase in incidents like murder, kidnapping for ransom, dacoity, robbery, bank robbery and street robbery in the state.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Bihar has consistently been among the top five states in terms of violent crimes between 2017 and 2022. There itself,According to this report of State Crime Records Bureau, Patna leads in violent crimes with an average of 82 incidents every year.
Then comes East Champaran (49.53), Saran (44.08), Gaya (43.50), Muzaffarpur (39.93) and Vaishali (37.9). Seven of the top 10 districts with the highest number of violent crimes, Patna, Motihari, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Samastipur, Nalanda and Begusarai are also included in those top 10 districts. Where the maximum number of cases were registered under the Arms Act.
Patna is at the forefront in recovery of illegal weapons
State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) data from 2015 to 2024 shows that an average of 2,913 cases are registered every year under the Arms Act in Bihar. The police recovered an average of 3,628 illegal weapons and 17,239 ammunition every year. A steady increase was seen in the recovery of indigenous illegal weapons. Its number was 2,356 in 2015, which more than doubled to 4,981 in 2024.
If we look at the district-wise figures of recovery of illegal country-made weapons, the capital Patna is at the forefront. An average of 384.4 weapons were recovered here every year between 2015-2024. At the same time, Muzaffarpur stood at second place with an average of 222.3 weapons. During this period, the number of ammunition or cartridges recovered increased from 9,449 in 2015 to 23,451 in 2024. In the district wise figures, Aurangabad is at the first place, followed by Patna and Gaya.
This report of the State Crime Records Bureau also gives information that between 2015 and 2024, the number of factories manufacturing illegal weapons in Bihar has also increased rapidly. During 2015-2024, their number increased from 13 in 2018 to 70 in 2023.
Ammunition and weapons are reaching Bihar through these methods
The report gives information about the methods of making arms and ammunition available in Bihar through illegal means. The first way is to obtain weapons through fake or fake arms licenses from other states like Jammu and Kashmir and Nagaland. The second source is the small-scale illegal arms manufacturing units running in rural and urban areas of Bihar. It provides indigenous weapons on a large scale. The third way is to fraudulently remove ammunition from the licensed stock and black market it.
Suggestion in the report – reduce the quota of personal ammunition.
By 2024, there were about 78,000 license-holders in Bihar. Most of them have the right to purchase up to 200 rounds of ammunition every year. If even 50 percent of them use this right, then the annual sale of cartridges can reach 78 lakh rounds. There is a need to keep a close eye on this. The report of the State Crime Records Bureau had suggested that the DGP of Bihar should reduce the personal ammunition quota to a minimum of 200 rounds annually. The police should also monitor the licenses issued by the Jammu and Kashmir and Nagaland governments.
Arms shops and factories should be reviewed
The State Crime Records Bureau report also suggested that all licenses issued so far, arms and ammunition, as well as information on all arms dealers and gun shops, be 100 per cent recorded in the Home Ministry’s National Database of Arms Licenses – Arms License Issuance System (NDAL-ALIS). The functioning of 80 licensed arms shops across the state and 37 gun factories in Munger should be regularly checked and reviewed.
Ammunition should be audited from time to time
Suggestions also include that if the license holder becomes incapable of using or possessing a weapon, his license should be canceled and the weapons should be surrendered. There should be periodic audit of ammunition used by police and other armed forces. The process of purchasing ammunition should be made easier. Enforcement agencies should be given access rights to NDAL-ALIS.
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