Illegal Weapons in India: Which State Tops the charts when it comes to Confiscation?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 24, 2015
None of us can forget the many Bollywood movies whose plot centered on mafia, gangs & illegal weapons. Stars brandishing guns is not uncommon in our movies. We also remember Vitthalbhai Radadiya, then a Congress MP and now a BJP MP brandishing his gun at a toll booth and pointing his gun towards the toll booth operator in 2012. But what about the seizure /confiscation of illegal firearms/weapons? Data about seizure /confiscation of illegal firearms/weapons is available from 2012 and below is an analysis. It is to be noted that weapons include all type of such as AK47/56, Pistols, Carbine, Revolvers, Guns, Rifles and country made weapons etc.
All India Numbers
While the number of illegal weapons seized remained more or less constant from 2012 to 2014, the number of persons arrested has more than doubled from 2012 to 2014. Reasons for this sudden increase in arrests is not known though certain states like Uttar Pradesh have seen a phenomenal rise in arrests. In fact, Uttar Pradesh accounts for more than 50% of the arrests in all the three years.
Top 10 States in terms of Seizure of illegal weapon
For the period starting 2012, Uttar Pradesh tops the list both in terms of number of illegal weapons seized & persons arrested. It leaves the other states so far behind that 47% of the total illegal weapons seized and 61% of the total persons arrested in the country are from UP. Bihar is a distant second with 6.3% of the seized weapons and West Bengal stands third with 5.67%. It is also interesting to note that there is no correlation between seizure of illegal weapons and arrests. Though 857 illegal weapons have been seized in Uttaranchal, not a single person is arrested.
Only in 6 out of the 29 states, more persons are arrested than the number of arms seized. In the rest of the states, the number of persons arrested is less than the number of arms seized. Not a single illegal weapon has been seized in Goa from 2012 till date.
What steps is the Government taking?
While the Government maintains that a realistic assessment of the number of illegal weapons in the country is not feasible, it has undertaken a host of steps to prevent proliferation of illegal weapons. The steps include
Let’s hope the government’s efforts are successful.
Data Source: Unstarred Question Number1375, Ministry of Home Affairs, Answered on 03.03.2015 in the Lok Sabha.