Yadav turf Mainpuri, Etah armed to the teeth; Lucknow not far behind

LUCKNOW: Infamous for violent election battles, civilians hold almost five times more firearms than the police department in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. The state accounts for the highest number of firearms licensees in the country (10.76 lakh), followed by Punjab (4.50 lakh) and Madhya Pradesh (2.70 lakh).In contrast, 2.50 lakh police personnel have about 2.25 lakh weapons to use.

Gearing up for the elections, the police department recently carried out a survey to identify arms licence-holders across all the 75 districts in the state. It was found that in 14 districts, arms licences have been issued to more than 20,000 people. The situation seems more alarming in west UP where the number of people with arms licences is quite high.

TOI found gun culture was most prevalent in Yadav bastions with density of guntoting people being the highest in Etah and Mainpuri districts. So while in Kanpur one in 168 individuals possesses a gun, in Etah and Mainpuri one in 58 and one in 77, respectively , flaunt guns.

Contrary to the perception that the gun culture is not so popular in Awadh region, which is considered urbanized compared to Poorvanchal, Bundelkhand, Rohilkhand and west UP (upper, middle and lower Doab), in Lucknow one in 81 individuals has an arms licence. “More than security , guns are used as a status symbol in UP . In the Chambal region, people are so obsessed that they often sell their land to buy rifles. A person without a gun is considered an outcast in some villages,“ said former DGP Shri Ram Arun.

Between September 2015 and February 2016, 12 cases of violence were reported in UP during panchayat polls.According to the Association of Democratic Reforms, 340 candidates with serious criminal cases against them, such as murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, robbery , extortion etc, were in the fray in the 2012 assembly polls.

DGP S Javeed Ahmad said, “We have been cautious while dealing with applicants for the past one year. Those seeking licences as family heir are the only ones that have been entertained. The numbers of licence-holders has come down.“