Most seized arms sold to high-ups

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 3

Politicians, bureaucrats and police officers are a privileged lot when it comes to the allotment of foreign-made weapons that are seized from smugglers, terrorists and other criminals.

The weapons, mostly 7.65-mm pistols and .315-bore rifles, are also being allotted at less than their market prices, according to the data compiled by the Punjab Police.

This data – pertaining to the allotments made between January 2009 and November 2015 — was placed before the Punjab Information Commission today after Bathinda resident Narender Sharma was denied information sought under the RTI Act.

Among the 428 listed beneficiaries are Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi; Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Sikander Singh Maluka; the latter’s son, Gurpreet Singh Maluka; Ferozepur MP Sher Singh Ghubaya; former Punjab BJP president Kamal Sharma; two sons of Punjab Assembly Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal; former Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon; and officers on special duty to the Deputy Chief Minister, Bhai Sukhdeep Singh and Charanjeet Singh.

Officers posted at the Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur, are also among the beneficiaries. IPS officer Rohit Chaudhary and his wife are among the allottees of 7.65-mm pistols. Among the bureaucrats are DS Bains, Chairman of the Punjab State Regulatory Electricity Commission, his son, Ganeev, Rajat Agarwal and Varun Roojam.

The Commission had observed that withholding information gave rise to the suspicion of a “biased” exercise. The next date of hearing is June 1.