Police need not directly procure weapons from abroad; weapons should be purchased only through Centre, says government

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government has rejected the recommendation of the Justice C.N. Ramachandran Nair Commission that the police should be allowed to directly purchase firearms, including pistols and revolvers, from overseas suppliers. According to the commission, the police chief should have permission to procure weapons and ammunition directly from foreign vendors. The government, however, has decided that weapons can only be purchased from overseas through the Ordnance Factory Board or in coordination with central agencies like the CRPF, ITBP, BSF, and others. Police will continue to have limited authority in foreign weapon procurement, and the recommendation to remove financial limits for the police chief for such purchases has also been rejected.

The commission’s recommenda