I’m fully answerable to CBI for my tenure, CBI did search my residence and found nothing incriminating in ongoing arms licence probe”, tweets click here Sahid Choudary, IAS, after repeated media report on CBI’s action.
After CBI raided the house of IAS officer Shahid Iqbal, who has also served as DC Srinagar people have started targeting him for issuing arms licences to the common people.
But some misinformation about his role needs to be cleared. First of all, issuing arms licence come under the official authority of the District Commissioner. In the period of 2012-1016, a total number of 4.49 lakh arms licences were issued in Jammu and Kashmir. Out of which 56,000 licences were issued from the three districts of Reasi, Kathua and Udhampur during the same period. But out of these 56,000 licences, only 1720 licences were issued during the tenure of Sahid Iqbal as DC in these three districts in four years. A close analysis shows that the licence issued in three districts under his tenure have been the lowest by any DC/DM in any district. Although, there may be the presence of procedural irregularities or errors in 15-20 cases in the Udhampur district during his tenure.
But this fact cannot be ruled out that district Udhampur being headquarter of the Northern Command of the Indian Army handles a large number of applications for arms licences from the retiring soldiers. That is why the largest number i.e, 1700 of licences issued by him is from the district Udhampur. In the district Udhampur alone 36,000 arms licences were issued in the time span of 2012- 2016.
