The fatal shooting of a 64-year-old consultant in Vaishali Nagar on Thursday was another grim addition in the long series of firing incidents that have shattered the city’s peace.
On August 16, people enjoying an evening at a cafe in C-Scheme had to duck for cover when a 26-year-old man opened fire. No one was hurt in the incident but for people inside the cafe, it was still a close call. Police later arrested the gunman, but such incidents have become a recurrent feature here.
A similar scene had earlier played out on June 16 near Gandhi Path, when two bike-borne assailants had fired at a car washer. The 41-year-old sustained firearms injuries and was taken to hospital. Police said the gunmen were hired by a jilted lover who wanted to bump off the car washer in order to marry his wife.
The city police had recently started an operation AAG (Action Against Guns) to control growing incidents of illegal firearms in the city. As of now, a total of 262 persons have been arrested in the operation. But the menace of illegal arms continued to hound the city.
A senior official attributed arms trafficker behind the gun violence in Jaipur. However, what is more disconcerting is that weapons are now used over trivial issues too.
On August 6, three drunk youths fired at a refrigerator in a highway dhaba near Kotputli after the staff could not serve their favorite dinner dish – ‘bhindi ki sabzi’.
The same day, another shooting over a small tiff shook the area where a minor boy who was miffed at being dismissed from his school, shot at his teacher near Nareda area of Kotputli tehsil.
An official told TOI that acquiring an illegal firearm has become increasingly easier. “A rugged gun (desi katta) made in Khargone in Madhya Pradesh can cost up to Rs 5,000. Whereas a pistol is available for Rs 35,000. Madhya Pradesh-made weapons don’t come to Jaipur very often because they are sold mainly in Jhalawar and Kota,” the official said.
“There are places in Western Uttar Pradesh like in Mathura and regions of Mewat in Haryana and Rajasthan, where illegal arms traders sell all kinds of weapons at an affordable price,” the official added.
Jaipur police said that firearms in the city are acquired for two major reasons- extortions and protection against a rival. “We have been keeping a tight leash on illegal arms traffickers, but new gangs soon crop up,” the official said.
