About 20,000 seized weapons in J

Srinagar, May 17 (UNI) About 20,000 sophisticated weapons seized from the militants in Jammu and Kashmir till 1998 were lying in the custody as court property, according to a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.

It said the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Parameters Review Committee was informed in 1998 that about 20,000 numbers of sophisticated weapons had been seized from the militants. These were in custody as court property.

The report said the Committee had suggested in October 1998 that the Jammu and Kashmir government should approach the Centre for allowing the state police and other security forces to utilise these captured arms and ammunition.

Test check of the records revealed that no reference in this behalf was made to the central government and as such the sophisticated weapons continued to be the court property, it added.

The report said no record were made available to suggest that the state Home Department had approached various courts for possible utilisation of these confiscated weapons by the police to augment the recurring shortage of arms and ammunition.

The Jammu and Kashmir Home Department stated in October 2006 that the issue of utilisation of seized weapons had been taken up with the Centre and a decision in this regard was awaited, it added.

UNI