What would Gandhi shoot?
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_307837,000600030011.htm
Politicians, bureaucrats in Bhopal strive to acquire guns
Anil Dubey (HT Correspondent)
Bhopal, July 14
Power flows from the barrel of the gun. The politicians and bureaucrats in the Madhya Pradesh capital seem to have taken this famous saying to their very heart and are literally 'gunning for power'. The trend of acquiring a gun has soared so sharply among the power wannabes in Bhopal that the term 'firepower' seems to have acquired a new meaning.
Though the number of gun licences in the past two years may have been lower than that of the capital of Bihar or Uttar Pradesh, the politicians and officials in Bhopal are ahead of others in keeping guns such as pistols, revolvers and of late .30 carbines.
Sources said that most of the applications come for the approval of the authorities with the tag of police recommendation that the person concerned is a prominent citizen or has clout in the area.
In the last two years, the district administration has granted arms licences to more than 480 people. In the year 2002, the State Government sanctioned 199 licences for the State capital and rejected only three of the received applications during the year.
In the previous year, this number was 125 in addition of 50 pending cases. The officials said that number is growing every year.
The politicians of the adjoining districts have also shown their charm for the arms. In Rajgarh district, many Janpad Panchayat office-bearers have applied for the arm licences. Besides, some priests including religious preacher Swami Mohanand Saraswati Maharaj of Narsingarh also got a revolver licence.
Some of the bureaucrats who sought gun licences during the past couple of years included former chief secretary PK Mehrotra, Vijay Vate, Harish Trivedi (both IPS), BL Shrivas (retired IAS), SK Dangwal (retired IPS) and Pushpa Dangwal, Dilip Mehra (IAS), Ashok Shah (IAS) and his wife Saroj Shah, Dr Amar Singh, GP Tiwari, Vira Rana (all three IAS), Swaraj Puri (IPS) and many others.
Besides, the present Chief Secretary, AV Singh, has also been known for his love for the firearms. The protocol officer of the State Government, Rajesh Mishra, is also having a good collection of arms.
The district officials said that most of the bureaucrats have possessed licences since a long time. Some of them got licences in the names of their family members.
For Mayor Vibha Patel, the love for arms grew after she became the first citizen of the State capital. She and her husband Bhuvnesh Patel got licences for pistols last year.
Some time back, former MP Ghufran-e-Azam also had applied for .30 carbine. Azam already possessed licences for pistol and other arms. MP Suresh Pachauri has also two licences. Former MP Kailash Sarang has a licenced Webley Scott revolver.
A member of Chief Minister Digvijay Singh's family also has a .12-bore licence registered in Bhopal, said the sources. Besides ministers and many MLAs, Swami Prasad Lodhi, the brother of local MP Uma Bharti, also got a licence for pistol from Bhopal district administration. Minorities Welfare Minister Arif Aqueel also has licence for a pistol.
Former Mayor Umashankar Gupta, BJP leader Ramesh Sharma Guttu and many other leaders also have firearms. Former minister Satyadeo Katare has about a dozen licences in his family.
"About 90 to 95 per cent of the bureaucrats and politicians have licences for revolvers or pistols", a district administration official told the Hindustan Times.
Moreover, the junior officers are also not far behind their seniors and political bosses. Many of the SDOs, SDMs, RTOs and tehsildars have also got gun licences.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_307837,000600030011.htm
Politicians, bureaucrats in Bhopal strive to acquire guns
Anil Dubey (HT Correspondent)
Bhopal, July 14
Power flows from the barrel of the gun. The politicians and bureaucrats in the Madhya Pradesh capital seem to have taken this famous saying to their very heart and are literally 'gunning for power'. The trend of acquiring a gun has soared so sharply among the power wannabes in Bhopal that the term 'firepower' seems to have acquired a new meaning.
Though the number of gun licences in the past two years may have been lower than that of the capital of Bihar or Uttar Pradesh, the politicians and officials in Bhopal are ahead of others in keeping guns such as pistols, revolvers and of late .30 carbines.
Sources said that most of the applications come for the approval of the authorities with the tag of police recommendation that the person concerned is a prominent citizen or has clout in the area.
In the last two years, the district administration has granted arms licences to more than 480 people. In the year 2002, the State Government sanctioned 199 licences for the State capital and rejected only three of the received applications during the year.
In the previous year, this number was 125 in addition of 50 pending cases. The officials said that number is growing every year.
The politicians of the adjoining districts have also shown their charm for the arms. In Rajgarh district, many Janpad Panchayat office-bearers have applied for the arm licences. Besides, some priests including religious preacher Swami Mohanand Saraswati Maharaj of Narsingarh also got a revolver licence.
Some of the bureaucrats who sought gun licences during the past couple of years included former chief secretary PK Mehrotra, Vijay Vate, Harish Trivedi (both IPS), BL Shrivas (retired IAS), SK Dangwal (retired IPS) and Pushpa Dangwal, Dilip Mehra (IAS), Ashok Shah (IAS) and his wife Saroj Shah, Dr Amar Singh, GP Tiwari, Vira Rana (all three IAS), Swaraj Puri (IPS) and many others.
Besides, the present Chief Secretary, AV Singh, has also been known for his love for the firearms. The protocol officer of the State Government, Rajesh Mishra, is also having a good collection of arms.
The district officials said that most of the bureaucrats have possessed licences since a long time. Some of them got licences in the names of their family members.
For Mayor Vibha Patel, the love for arms grew after she became the first citizen of the State capital. She and her husband Bhuvnesh Patel got licences for pistols last year.
Some time back, former MP Ghufran-e-Azam also had applied for .30 carbine. Azam already possessed licences for pistol and other arms. MP Suresh Pachauri has also two licences. Former MP Kailash Sarang has a licenced Webley Scott revolver.
A member of Chief Minister Digvijay Singh's family also has a .12-bore licence registered in Bhopal, said the sources. Besides ministers and many MLAs, Swami Prasad Lodhi, the brother of local MP Uma Bharti, also got a licence for pistol from Bhopal district administration. Minorities Welfare Minister Arif Aqueel also has licence for a pistol.
Former Mayor Umashankar Gupta, BJP leader Ramesh Sharma Guttu and many other leaders also have firearms. Former minister Satyadeo Katare has about a dozen licences in his family.
"About 90 to 95 per cent of the bureaucrats and politicians have licences for revolvers or pistols", a district administration official told the Hindustan Times.
Moreover, the junior officers are also not far behind their seniors and political bosses. Many of the SDOs, SDMs, RTOs and tehsildars have also got gun licences.
