By TRINATH MOHANTY, OP
Bhubaneswar: More than 1,500 illegal firearms are reportedly in the hands of criminals in Bhubaneswar, raising serious concerns over public safety and the city’s law-and-order situation. According to an intelligence report submitted to the police, these firearms are being smuggled into the Capital through Ganjam and Bihar.
The report further indicates that the weapons are possessed by professional criminals. The revelations have raised questions over how such a large number of illegal firearms have entered the City and why the Commissionerate Police have failed to crack down on those possessing and supplying them. The functioning of the Special Crime Unit has also come under scrutiny.
Formed specifically to target arms and drug mafias, the unit has allegedly failed to deliver results in recent months. While it had been active in tackling organised crime in previous years, its recent performance has raised concerns.
The DCP’s Special Squad, tasked with tackling major crimes, drug trafficking and illegal firearms, have also reportedly struggled to make significant seizures and arrests, barring a few cases. Earlier, the Police Commissioner’s Quick Action Team (QAT) was known for its effective operations. However, following its gradual disbandment, the Special Crime Unit was established with powers to register cases and operate directly under the Police Commissioner’s supervision.
Despite being granted considerable operational freedom, the unit has allegedly failed to take effective action against illegal arms networks. If the intelligence report’s claims are accurate, the presence of over 1,500 illegal firearms in the capital is a serious security concern and calls for urgent police intervention.
Despite seizing firearms in several criminal cases reported in Bhubaneswar over the past few months, police have failed to establish their source or trace the supply network. In the Shishupalgarh Tupu Nayak murder case, police seized firearms but reportedly failed to find out where the accused had procured the weapons, even after questioning them.
Similarly, Sonu alias Sa nu Nayak was shot dead last week beneath the Jharpada Bridge on Kataka Road in the Laxmisagar area. Although police recovered the firearm used in the murder, they have yet to establish its source. In another incident, a group allegedly fired two rounds from a firearm during a Ganesh Puja celebration at a pandal in Gha tikia under Bharatpur police limits on the night of September 20.
Following the intelligence report, police have reportedly stepped up surveillance on known criminals and habitual offenders in the Capital. Police have also pointed to Munger in Bihar as a major source of illegal firearms entering Bhubaneswar.
However, they have so far failed to identify and arrest the dealers involved in the alleged arms trade. The inability of the police to trace the illegal firearms supply chain has raised serious questions.
While the authorities are able to identify incidents when shots are fired, their failure to determine who is supplying the weapons and where the deals are taking place has become a subject of public concern. When contacted over the phone for his response, Police Commissioner Suresh Dev Datta Singh declined to comment on the issue and disconnected the call.