Massive rise in convictions under Arms Act in UP's Bulandshahr

Bulandshahr , UP: Nearly 400 'tamancha'-wielding people in western Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district have been rendered ineligible for contesting the elections or government jobs in the last three years courtesy their conviction under the Arms Act, 1959.

In the last three years, a total of 392 accused have been convicted by the local court under the stringent law, with their numbers rising from 49 in 2021 to 122 in 2022 and 221 in 2023, according to official data.

Those convicted have been jailed and also rendered ineligible for contesting the elections, getting government jobs or tenders for contract works and cannot apply for passports or arms license, police officials said, citing provisions of the Arms Act.

Spread over 4,353 square kilometers with a population of over 35 lakh (2011 census), Bulandshahr is known for its rich agricultural land, sugarcane production, pottery works and historical sites like Buland Darwaza.

However, the district also infamously gained prominence over the past few years due to the prevalence of illegal firearms, particularly single-shot pistols called "tamanchas" in the region.

The widely believed factors contributing to the proliferation of country-made arms in the region include porous borders with Haryana, historical land disputes and caste tensions leading to a culture of violence and self-defense.

The adjoining districts of Gautam Buddha Nagar and Ghaziabad have been impacted by this 'tamancha culture' with suspects in several incidents of street crimes like snatching, assaults and robberies either belonging to Bulandshahr or procuring firearms from the district.

However, 2023 saw a significant rise in the convictions of those accused in cases lodged under the Arms Act, 1959, in Bulandshahr.

There were 49 cases and 49 accused in 2021, and 122 cases and 122 accused in 2022, while there were 221 cases and 221 accused in 2023. A total of 392 cases and 392 accused, who were convicted under the Arms Act by the local court, showed the official data accessed by PTI.

"Besides the usual policing and law enforcement, there has been a constant effort to check the 'tamancha culture' which has been prevalent in the district for quite some time now," Senior Superintendent of Police, Bulandshahr, Shlok Kumar, told PTI.

"The number of convictions through the court has risen significantly in the last three years through meticulous and diligent representation by the police and lawyers in the court," he added.

According to official figures, a total of 221 accused were convicted by the local court under the Arms Act in 2023. In 31 cases, the convicts were awarded jail terms ranging from three to seven years.

Among those convicted, 24 are history-sheeters, three who feature among the most wanted criminals in the district, three belonging to mafia groups, five booked for looting and 24 accused of murder, the data showed.

There were also four people, who landed in trouble after their purported videos flaunting 'tamancha' went viral on social media, leading to their conviction, it showed.

The year also saw 22 cases in which the court's verdict came more than two decades after the incident. It includes two convictions in cases that took place in 1990, one each in 1991, 1992 and 1993, according to data.