Kashmir gunmakers lose sales as govt denies licences to civilians, factories

Srinagar was once famed for its traditional shotguns, fashioned with walnut stocks which sported intricate engravings.

Srinagar: Srinagar has seen a decline in its gun manufacturing sector despite a rising demand from citizens for self-defence firearms. The city was once famed for its traditional shotguns, fashioned with walnut stocks which sported intricate engravings.

Zaroo gun factory’s traditional walnut shotgun stock engraved with motifs of Chinar leaves.

However, the denial of licenses to both civilians and gunmakers has left the industry in peril.

Authorities in J&K's Dhangri village, 10 km south of Rajouri town, armed their retired security personnel with self-loading rifles (SLRs) after the twin terror attacks on January 1 and 2, 2023, which left seven dead, and 14 injured.

The twin towns of Rajouri and Poonch in the western region of the Union Territory have seen a rise in militancy since 2021. DH had recently reported that seven civilians, 26 army personnel, including three officers and five paratroopers, have been killed in the twin towns in the border region since October 2021.

The government replaced the outdated .303 rifles with SLRs for the Village Defence Guards (VDGs). The VDGs, a controversial civil militia, were once an integral part of the Valley's anti-militancy grid. As militarisation grew, their importance decreased, but they are making a comeback now. There were roughly 5,000 VDG volunteers in the 1990s, but by 2016, the numbers swelled to nearly 28,000.

Shotguns of 12-gauge calibre, a popular self-defence weapon, were widely available in the Valley under the brand labels Subhana Gun Factory and Zaroo Gun Factory. The former facility has locks on its doors due to the government's refusal to issue a licence. The latter is the only authorised factory in Kashmir today to make firearms legally. "The Home Ministry has given us the green light to begin production, but there are no takers. There is no business here because the government is not approving civilian licences," Burhan Zaroo, a member of the gunmakers' family, stated.

Located in the heart of Downtown Srinagar in Rainawari, the Zaroo gun factory is licenced to manufacture 540 shotguns per year. Burhan told DH, "At one point, we were selling over 300 guns yearly at a rapid pace. Since I joined the business, the maximum sales I have seen is 100 guns per year. Depending on the modifications, the price of the firearms could range from Rs 14,000 for a single barrel to Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 for a double barrel. However, as the number of civilian licences issued decreased, the number of firearms sold fell to 30 per year and then eventually to zero."

Due to a lack of orders, the Zaroo family have set up a grocery store in front of their gun production facility — now their primary livelihood source. "The only work we have is repairing old guns, such as bluing the barrels or fixing the wood. There was a time when the factory was bustling with employees and artisans from all over India who made guns with intricately engraved wooden stocks. Once production ceased, they left Srinagar. Some of them died, and the traditional craft of gunsmithing died with them," lamented Burhan.

The Zaroo Gun Factory, located in the Rainawari neighbourhood of Srinagar. The factory's owners have established a convenience store in front of the building to make up for the business's decline.

Burhan said the manufacturing facility's license is supposed to be renewed every five years. "I have been applying for the renewal, but I haven't heard from the authorities in years," he said.DH accessed a letter from the Home ministry to the chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories, dated December 2018, that the renewal of manufacturing licences in Form IX are with the Centre for conversion in Form VII (as per the Arms Rules, 2016), and is likely to "take some time". Therefore, as of now, the licenses under consideration for conversion may be considered valid as per the provisions in Section 15(2) of the Arms Act, 1959.

"This is my family business and craft. A lot has already been lost. I will constantly be on the edge until I acquire my new license," Burhan said.

Other impediments

The gun testing process also hinders the business. Before private makers can sell them, the ordnance factories put the weapons through rigorous testing. The guns are sent to Kanpur or Jabalpur for testing. “The guns can be tested in Srinagar at the Badami Bagh Cantonment, which has a government shooting range. Carrying the guns to Kanpur adds expense to an already tough business. Transporting so many guns is risky, too, especially in Kashmir,” said Burhan.

Past bans

On January 19, 2023, the J&K government lifted the four-year ban on district magistrates issuing new individual arms licences in the Union Territory. The ban was imposed after Rajasthan Anti-Terror Squad probed a gun licence racket in 2018, naming public employees, including some IAS officers.

In the early 1990s, too, when an armed rebellion against the Indian government erupted in the Valley, the Centre had banned civilian firearms licences in the region for two years and seized civilians' guns. Bandook Khar Mohalla (Gunsmiths' quarter) in Srinagar's Rainawari was where most of Kashmir's gun-making companies were located.

Many gunmakers relocated to Jammu from the Valley after the prohibition was lifted. There are currently around 18 gun manufacturers in the Jammu area, but only one in Kashmir.

A proprietor of the Zaroo gun factory said, "Why can't they license us and aid us with our business when the Valley needs guns for self-defence?"

According to the government, till July 2022, 118 civilians have been killed by militants since the Centre abrogated Article 370 on August 5, 2019.