As if Indians don't have enough problems to deal with, the Indian Ordnance Factories is adding to the stockpile of arms among the public by offering 0.32 revolvers for sale.
An advertisement in a newspaper says 'General Manager, Small Arms Factory, Kanpur (an ISO: 9001:2000 certified unit) is pleased to announce that booking of IOF Make 0.32 Revolver is open to all Indian citizens.'
The revolver costs Rs 62,116 and will be issued on a first-come-first-serve basis.
The number of revolvers on sale is not mentioned.
The terms and conditions for the purchase are mentioned in a prescribed application form, which can be obtained free of cost from the Small Arms Factory, Kanpur, or downloaded from the Ordnance Board Factory, Kolkata web site www.ofbindia.com
The advertisement comes within days of some high-profile murders in Uttar Pradesh, notably that of Samajwadi Party MLC Ajit Singh in Unnao. Personal weapons, licenced or otherwise, have been allegedly used in several murders like that of model Jessica Lal in Delhi.