Srinagar, 20-03-2024 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken a significant step in addressing the issue of firearms licenses issued to ineligible individuals in Jammu and Kashmir during 2012-16. On Wednesday, the agency filed two separate charge sheets against a total of 15 accused, which includes two bureaucrats, in connection with this case. These charge sheets were submitted in the court of the special judge, CBI cases, located in Srinagar, as confirmed by a spokesperson of the agency.
In the first charge sheet, 10 individuals were named, including the then Kupwara district magistrate Itrat Hussain Rafiqi, along with four gun house dealers and middlemen. Meanwhile, the second charge sheet implicated the then additional district magistrate Ravinder Kumar Bhat and four others, including gun house dealers and middlemen. The case dates back to 2018 when it was registered based on the request of the then Jammu and Kashmir government. Subsequently, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India, transferred the investigation to the CBI via a notification issued on May 17, 2018, by the Vigilance Organisation Kashmir (VOK).
At the heart of the matter is the improper issuance of numerous arms licenses to ineligible individuals without adhering to due process between 2012 and 2016. The charge sheets were filed under various sections of the Ranbir Penal Code, Prevention of Corruption Act, and Arms Act against the accused. The investigation uncovered a nexus between the licensing authority, namely the District Magistrate, and middlemen, as well as gun house dealers. These dealers allegedly enticed defense personnel stationed in distant parts of the country to obtain arms licenses from Kupwara district, despite not being residents or stationed there, and without proper police verification.
The spokesperson highlighted that illegal gratification was purportedly sought and collected by the gun house dealers and middlemen for each licence issued. The issuance of a large number of arms licenses in a bordering district like Kupwara to ineligible individuals is a matter of grave concern, posing a serious threat to law and order and public safety.
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