Assam's hair-trigger plan to be 'America'

Himanta Biswa Sarma seems besotted with all things American - particularly its 2nd Amendment, which guarantees the right to bear arms. Never mind that the US' permissive gun culture has produced disastrous outcomes, from mass shootings to deepening social polarisation. On Wednesday, the Assam cabinet approved a special scheme to provide arms licences to indigenous people living in 'vulnerable and remote areas' in the state to 'help them protect themselves'. While couched in the language of protection, the messaging isn't exactly cryptic, especially since many of these districts have a high concentration of Bengali-speaking Muslims.

Even as Sarma clarified the next day that this gun-licensing scheme won't apply to 'interstate border' areas, that does little to redeem this daft and dangerous - not to mention unconstitutional, as it 'unequalises' citizens from needing protection from those who do not - plan. Someone with better sense from GoI should ensure that the proposed scheme be scotched immediately. Instead of the state providing protection - to all its citizens - it's now decided to outsource it, selectively. If that is not stoking vigilantism, then one doesn't know what is. Sarma has 'reassured' (sic) everyone that licences will only be issued to those without criminal records, and that district commissioners (DCs) will oversee identification of vulnerable areas and vet applications. But given the bureaucracy-government complex, these safeguards border the laughable.

Such a move is not law enforcement, but institutionalised vigilantism masquerading as policy. Divisive measures that pit one community against another must be nipped in the bud. If public resistance is not enough, the courts must act before Assam becomes 'America'.