Gwalior: Why Panchayat elections are held on the strength of illegal weapons in Gwalior Chambal division

Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh): Panchayat elections are to be held in Madhya Pradesh. The increased smuggling of illegal arms and weapons during election time in the Gwalior-Chambal region has brought the police administration on its toes.

The police have now started strengthening their informer system. Instructions have been given to bring strictness on the border of the Gwalior-Chambal zone.

Notably, the smuggling of illegal arms increases during the elections in the Gwalior-Chambal region and is a big challenge for the police. Illegal weapons are smuggled in large quantities and are used to carry out incidents like election intimidation and assassination attempts.

Arms smuggling gangs come from Haryana and Rajasthan and sell their weapons in the area. Separate teams of police are being formed which will keep surveillance on the border along with the rural areas.

Although the Gwalior-Chambal area is infamous for the name of dacoits, there are no dacoits in this area, but now this area is known and recognized for illegal arms smuggling in the Gwalior-Chambal zone from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Haryana.

At the time of elections, licensed guns are stored in the police station and due to this people use illegal weapons more. This is the reason that at the time of elections, this region has the highest number of illegal weapons purchased and used in elections.

There are more than one lakh arms licenses in the Gwalior-Chambal zone. Talking about Gwalior alone, there are 32 thousand licensed guns, 28 thousand in Morena and 24 thousand licensed weapons in Bhind district, which is the highest in the state

Retired KD Sonkia, who was the most popular DSP of Chambal, said that at the time of elections in the Gwalior-Chambal region, illegal weapons are used for mutual enmity and intimidation. Pistols are used the most. Those who pass through the border of the region, supply them from village to village and so on.

During elections, the price of illegal weapons also increases significantly. It is said that illegal guns are sold for 3 to 5 thousand, while pistols are sold between 8000 to 12000. Congress leader RP Singh says that the Chambal zone is the area where every time there is a nuisance during elections and the most illegal weapons are smuggled. Therefore the government and the district administration should be strict about these illegal weapons.

(With inputs from Anil )