Up in arms
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AUG 13 - The murder of Mukesh Dutta left his family with no surviving males. Dutta, 32, of Devichowk, Janakpur, was gunned down in November last year, while he had been observing Chhath rituals on the banks of the Arghaja pond.
In the wake of his passing, Dutta’s 67-year-old mother, Uma, is now living with her daughter-in-law and three grandsons. She explains that the family has suffered the loss of not just a loved one, but also their sole breadwinner. “It’s become hard enough to put food on the table at the moment. We can’t even send the children to school,” Uma says, welling up.
It was in similar, seemingly arbitrary circumstances, that businessman Shyam Sunder Raut of Lahan Municipality, Siraha, had been shot at while on his way home after closing his shop in the city center on December 29 last year. “My father and I were on our motorbike, when someone stopped us. I was shot in the head and the Rs 45,000 I was carrying was taken,” says Raut. He was later taken to the Neuro hospital in Biratnagar where he had to spend Rs 800,000 on his treatment. “I am still in the process of paying off the loan.”
These are just a few examples. The fact that small arms are reported to be increasingly in circulation is worrying. According to the United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, the presence of small arms and light weapons have the effect of destabilising regions, sparking conflicts, and posing obstructions to relief programmes and peace initiatives—thereby fostering a “culture of violence.” An independent study shows 90 percent of the victims of small arms incidents are civilians. What is even more concerning is that the state has no legal provisions to compensate those who suffer physical injuries or financial losses—or even death—as a result of these incidents.
Siraha District Coordinator for the Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC), Devraj Pokharel, says that although organisations working in the field of human rights often play a crucial role in raising voices for justice to be brought against perpetrators, there is still no proper monitoring of the victim’s and/or their family’s circumstances after an incident. “It’s a huge physical and financial shock for the family. Whether a widowed spouse, or elderly parents, or children—they are often left to fend for themselves,” says Pokharel.
Between November 2009 and May 2011, almost 1,000 casualities related to small arms and other portable lethal weapons have been reported by INSEC. Out of these, 250 have been deaths. These figures indicate a proliferation of small arms in the country. Police officials believe that this is owing to the ease of acquiring them, along with their handy size. Senior Superintendent of Police and Chief of Janakpur Zonal Police Office, Nawaraj Silwal, says, “Small arms are found in plenty across the border. This is how criminal groups are able to purchase them.”
A recent study conducted on armed terror in mid-Madhes by the Democratic Freedom and Human Rights Institute and Tarai Human Rights Defenders Alliance says that the going rate for a Katuwa—a local pistol—is Rs 2000, while a Sixer costs Rs 5000. “About 90 percent of those involved in the small arms business are between 15-35 years of age,” adds the report, which also claims that 1131 people have been charged and arrested under the Arms and Ammunition Act in the last four years from eight Tarai districts including Dhanusha, Bara, Parsa, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Mahottari, Siraha and Saptari.
The use of small arms in the Tarai districts had risen following the emergence of various underground outfits, which occurred after Jay Krishna Goit initiated armed activities to demand for a separate Madhes state in 2004. Although their immediate targets had been political persons and government officials, in recent days, they’ve shifted their attention to small businessmen and common citizens.
Often, according to SSP Silwal, members of the police force are involved in these shady outfits, a result, he says, of some criminal elements having entered the police services. He also blames the open-border policy for exacerbating the situation. “Criminals are able to flee past the border, making it impossible for us to find them,” Silwal says. “All we can do is contact the police on the other side and request for help, but nothing much is really done in the end.”
Another contributing factor in the proliferation of small arms is the excessive influence of political parties over day-to-day life and security matters, particularly in regions like the Tarai, says Silwal. “In the villages, you will find that although people are uneducated, they are certainly either affiliated to the Congress or the UML or some Madhesi party,” he says. He explains that party leaders generally try to suppress reports or investigations into crimes committed by their affiliates, hampering resolution.
Nepal’s Arms and Ammunition Act does state that those found using small arms could be jailed for three to six years or be liable to pay fines between Rs 60,000-1,40,000—or both. Yet, the use of these weapons is still evidently on the rise. Data released by the Nepal Police six months ago reveals that in the past three years, about 400 small arms have been recovered from various criminal groups. Former Additional Inspector General of Police, Govinda Thapa, says, “Weak implementation of law and political protection have resulted in the breeding of criminal activities in the country.”
The easy availability of small arms have also led to reports of these coming into the possession of members of the general public, under the pretext of self-defense. “People think these will come handy in protecting themselves. But there’s always the risk of them being used carelessly during quarrels,” says Silwal. Testament to this is a study conducted by the UN, which shows that 50 percent of incidents where small arms are used are in cases of personal grievances.
This rise in the possession of small arms by both criminal outfits and common citizens is a disturbing trend, indicative of the precariousness of our social and political circumstances. It is the belief of police officials that unless there is support from the community level, it is ludicrous to expect security forces alone to solve the problem. Says Silwal: “It’s only if NGOs, INGOs, political parties, local leaders and other community elements all work together in creating awareness about the risks of using small arms, that a climate to resolve the predicament can be created.”
Rauniyar is an employee of United Nations radio programme, Radio Chautari. The UN Radio Program Radio Chautari goes on air every Wednesday morning at 7.30 am on Radio Kantipur and every Saturday morning at 7.30 am on Ujyallo Network.
Posted on: 2011-08-13 10:15
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