Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma allows natives to arm themselves

Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday launched an online portal that will allow the indigenous people of the state living in "sensitive areas" to apply for arms licence.

The state Cabinet took a decision in this regard on May 28 and subsequently the government notified a scheme for grant of arms licence under the Arms Act 1959 and the Arms Rules 2016.

Under this scheme, original inhabitants of Assam and indigenous Indian citizens with a genuine threat to safety due to the vulnerability of the region where they stay can apply for an arms licence. The application will be scrutinised from the perspective of threat perception, personal security requirements, and the necessity of possessing the licensed arms based on field-level inputs and assessments by designated police and intelligence authorities. A police verification, including local enquiry, past criminal antecedents and socio-economic background check will be carried out for the applicants.