Some of our friends are drawing sadistic pleasure by claiming that the “high profile” IAS officer who was DC Srinagar on August 5 was also running a arms racket. First thing, issuing arms licence is no crime, DM’s are empowered. As far as the said officer is concerned, the below mentioned details might be of help:
Tenure in three Districts: Out of 4.49 lakh arms licences issued in Jammu and Kashmir between 2012 and 2016, only 56,000 have been issued from the three districts of Reasi, Kathua and Udhampur. This share of 12.4% is not disproportionate in case of three districts.
Lowest Number: Of the 56,000 licences issued in three districts –Reasi, Kathua and Udhampur –between 2012 and 2016, only 1720 licences have been issued during during Shahid’s tenure –three (3%) percent of all licences issued in three districts in four years or during the period under investigation and 0.38% of all such licences issued in Jammu and Kashmir.
In fact, the licences issued in three districts under his tenure have been the lowest by any DM in any district.
As is evident from the number of licences issued under his tenure –only three percent of all licences –any pecuniary consideration is not even thinkable.
Procedural irregularity: Oversight or procedural indiscretion in few cases, not more than 15-20, cannot be completely ruled out as this is a human intervention process which passes through several clerical stages.He has learnt that the investigators may have found some procedural errors in a few cases –not more than 15-20 –out of all licences issued under his tenure in Udhampur district. Udhampur district being headquarters of the Northern Command of Indian Army handles a large number of arms licences applications from the retiring soldiers.
Of the 36,000 licences issued in Udhampur between 2012 and 2016, only 1700 (4%) have been issued under his tenure and only 15 to 20 of them have been found with procedural errors. (Statement)
