The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : ‘Amend Indian Arms Act’

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 10, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

‘Amend Indian Arms Act’

Special Correspondent

Seminar favours involvement of private agencies in policing

Not even 10 per cent of kidnapping incidents reported to police
Terrorism will grow stronger as long as vote bank politics continues

HYDERABAD: Retired Chief of State Intelligence C. Anjaneya Reddy has demanded amendment to the Indian Arms Act to provide public-private partnership in dealing with security risks associated with terrorism.

Participating in a round-table conference organised by the Forum for Integrated National Security in the backdrop of the recent bomb blasts in the city, Mr. Reddy said legislation should be aimed at facilitating private agencies to possess arms and take up security work like frisking and search operations alongside the regular police forces. The participation of private players was required because the police alone could not shoulder the entire responsibility of providing security in the growing terrorist scenario.

Crime scene

Mr. Reddy said the crime scene of the State capital was dominated by terrorism, naxalism and kidnapping. The public did not know the alarming nature of kidnapping because not even 10 per cent of the incidents were reported to police. The crime was resolved outside the domain of police with culprits collecting lakhs of rupees as ransom and releasing victims.

Retired bureaucrat J.M. Girglani said vote bank politics in the present Constitutional system made it difficult to check terrorism in the country. Stating that Constitution was not sacrosanct, he sought its overhaul like France, the fifth Republic of world, did. He warned that terrorism will grow stronger as long as vote bank politics continued. A retired IPS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre V.K. Deoskar wanted Government to identify people who gave logistics support to terrorists locally.

T. Hanuman Chowdary, Advisor to State Government on Information Technology during Telugu Desam regime, wanted an all-Muslim intelligence unit headed by an officer belonging to the same community for good results in gathering intelligence inputs about terrorism.

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