On Saturday, November 26, after an FIR was recently filed against four people, including a 10-year-old boy, for ‘glorifying’ gun culture in Amritsar, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav gave the public 72 hours to remove any social media posts promoting gun culture and violence.
DGP Yadav stated that no FIRs would be filed in relation to such posts for 72 hours, after which the drive to remove such posts would begin and offenders will be booked.
“Appeal to Everyone to voluntarily remove any objectionable content from their Social Media handles in the next 72 hours. CM Punjab has directed that no FIRs for glorifying weapons will be registered for the next 3 days in Punjab to allow people to remove content on their own,” the Punjab Police DGP tweeted.
Appeal to Everyone to voluntarily remove any objectionable content from their Social Media handles in the next 72 hours.
— DGP Punjab Police (@DGPPunjabPolice) November 26, 2022
CM Punjab has directed that no FIRs for glorifying weapons will be registered for the next 3 days in Punjab to allow people to remove content on their own. pic.twitter.com/JwkrYVhN3N
Notably, on November 23, Amritsar Rural Police arrested four people, including a 10-year-old boy and his father, for “glorifying” gun culture, but the FIR was later dropped after it was revealed that the firearm in question was a “toy gun.” The case was filed at the Kathunangal Police Station.
The boy’s father had uploaded a picture of his son on his Facebook profile, showing him standing with a gun and a bandolier on his shoulder.
The case was filed under Section 188 of the IPC, which deals with disobeying an order issued by a public servant.
The state government has prohibited the public display of firearms as well as songs promoting gun culture, including those shared on social media.
Notably, Punjab has been at the centre of gun violence and gang wars. After Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead in broad daylight, the gun culture and its glorification through music videos and other means became a topic of discussion across the country. Recently, even veteran Punjabi singer Babbu Mann received a death threat over a phone call, after which security at his Mohali residence was tightened.
