English Version-
The ongoing use of small arms: How long do people have to face insecurity?
By Purna Shova Chitrakar
The continuous use of bombs, ammunition, and small arms in Nepal continues to cause deaths, injuries, and the maiming of civilians. How responsive are the government, parliament, political parties, and human rights activists on this issue? It is difficult to estimate how anxious those agencies are for security efforts, to prevent these incidents from happening every day, and to raise awareness for the victims. On the other hand, social networks are full of obstacles due to things like a change of government, the assumption of office of prime minister or ministers, and political appointment of constitutional bodies. Let us assume that taking office means becoming a high-level person or being honored. Getting more accolades or likes on photos with garlands and "Khada" is the honor of the position and success. I am unable to understand whether the posts are for duty or profit, for well-being and comfort, and yes, for gossip. But no matter which government comes in favor, innocent victims are not being heard, as the government does not speak in their favor. The security agencies who run and defuse the bomb directly on site are anxious to defuse the weapon, though they do not hear two words in their praise. Thankfully, well-known media workers are showing some awareness and are communicating news about the accidents caused by weapons. I wholeheartedly appreciate all those security personnel and communication personnel.
From January 2023 to May 2024, when reading 93 online news, it was found that various types of guns, socket bombs, pressure cooker bombs, and other improvised explosives were used in 44 districts. Among those affected, 14 people were killed 8 people were injured by guns, while 2 people were killed and 12 people were injured by explosives. Some of the explosives were destroyed by the army's disposal team before they exploded, while in other places the police arrested perpetrators with weapons. In some places, those weapons were found as remnants of conflict, while in others the ordinances proved to be new. According to the news, it was found that new armed groups have planted bombs near the houses or companies of businessmen and spread political leaflets to politicize them, especially to extort money. It can be inferred from that random study that the things in the news are not the complete facts and they are only some of the incidents found by the reporters. The actual figure may be more than this.
How many are using illegal weapons and what kind of damage is it causing in the daily life of common people? Has the issue of their security challenges been raised in a political party meeting? Has it been raised in a meeting of the House? If they woke up and looked for a solution, that would be ideal. But not standing up is a kind of political irresponsibility. Who are the new non-state armed groups, why are they doing this, and what steps have been taken? It is an example of an irresponsible character where there is no initiative to see what kind of efforts are being made by the government to solve these problems.
According to former AIG Ravi Raj Thapa's article written in Himal Khabar in July 2079, it can be understood that small personal weapons such as ‘pistols used in single murders are also uncontrolled in Nepal’. After a decade of armed conflict in Nepal, it seems that Nepal will have to wait a little longer until it can breathe peacefully due to the continued use of small arms and explosives in violent crimes. How much more will common people experience and be put to shame while waiting for time to pass?

According to the website of Nepal Police in the month of January 2080, during the first six months of the fiscal year, 134 people were arrested with illegal weapons from various places across the country. According to this source, Madhesh Province is among the provinces where the most arrests are made, Lumbini is the second, Koshi is the third, and Bagmati Valley is the fourth. Bagmati Valley, the most secure area during the conflict period in the valley, is now almost two decades after the end of the conflict, finds that the increased use of weapons is challenging the security system of the capital itself.
These facts have raised some questions related to the safety of citizens. Why are illegal weapons being used after conflict? From where do these illegal weapons enter the country? Why is the government failing to control it? Why is the number of weapons used increasing every year? How is it affecting citizens economically, politically, socially, culturally, and psychologically? What is the quality of life for the survivors moving forward? Why could the remains of conflict not be completely removed? Why are new armed groups coming into being even after the conflict? What is the government's perspective towards them?
According to Colin P. Clarke, the proliferation of cheap weapons has caused a flood of weapons in the world arms market and has made it easier for criminals to continue committing violent crimes. Due to their long association with criminal organizations, they have access to such weapons and are also profiting from other illegal transactions. Similarly, Indian sociologist Suneel Kumar has said that because weapons are very cheap, easy to make, maintain, operate, and hide, the use and carrying of such weapons will increase. According to another sociologist, Keith Krause, there are at least 640 million small and light weapons in circulation in the world, which means that there is one weapon for every ten people.
Weapons are defined in different groups, in section (2) of Nepal's Arms and Ammunition Act 2019. In section 5 of the same, it is explained that one cannot carry arms without a license. In a country like Nepal, why is the government allowed to give weapons licenses to citizens for their protection? Should the government take responsibility for the social security of the people, or should the people themselves be protected by employing weapons on their own? Is the government giving such a license only for its income, or is it because the government is unable to protect the people? In the current context, this could be a new topic of debate for conscious citizens.
It is the right of every citizen to raise their complaints and demands with the government. But it is inhumane to force innocent people to suffer fear, terror, death, mutilation, and injury in the name of complaints and dissatisfaction. Therefore, all activities that affect the safety of citizens must be stopped. The government should be responsible for finding answers to the questions discussed above. In addition, conscious citizens also need to spend time to solve this problem.

Language editor- Helen Martin