GUWAHATI: The Assam government on Wednesday announced providing arms licenses to indigenous people living in “vulnerable and remote areas."
Addressing a press conference after chairing a cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the arms licences would be given to tackle unlawful threats from hostile quarters.
“Assam is a very difficult and sensitive state. The government of Assam has taken a very important decision today in our cabinet. We have decided that we will give arms licences to eligible persons who are residing in remote, vulnerable and border areas," Sarma said.
"We will encourage our original inhabitants and indigenous Indian citizens to apply and take an arms licence as per eligibility provided in the Indian Arms Act,” he added.
He also stated that the licences would be given under a “special scheme for grant of arms licences to original inhabitants and indigenous Indian citizens in vulnerable and remote areas of Assam.”
He said the indigenous people are in a minority in districts such as Dhubri, Nagaon, Morigaon, Barpeta, South Salmara and Goalpara, and they always live in fear. After the incidents in Bangladesh, they might face attacks from the Bangladesh side or in their villages, he added.
“The government’s decision on arms licence is an important milestone. This is an old demand from people living in vulnerable and remote areas of the state. The demand had been there since the time of the Assam Agitation (1979-85), but no government had dared to take a decision. If arms licences were given earlier, many families would not have come out of those villages by selling off their land,” Sarma said.
He appealed to eligible people from such areas to apply for the arms licences, stating that the government would be lenient in giving the licences.