NOW, KASHMIR’S ‘PELLET GUNS’ WILL GUARD SBI BRANCHES

The 12-gauge pump-ac tion shotgun, infamous as the ’pellet gun’ used against stone pelters in Kashmir, is set to guard the offices of the country’s largest bank, State Bank of India

SBI authorities will buy as many as 11,000 of these five-sho compact weapons, made by the Indian Ordnance Factory at Ish apore, around 40km north o Kolkata, and phase out the single and double-barrel 12-gauge shot guns carried by its guards.

Since the new gun can fire a variety of ammunition made in the 12-gauge calibre, guards can continue with the standard lethal ammunition.

The so-called “non-legal” ammunition responsible for deaths and blindings in the Val ley is issued only to governmen security forces.

For Rifle Factory Ishapore (RFI), the country’s oldes weapon manufacturing unit se up by the British and makers o several firearms, including the INSAS assault rifle used by the army, paramilitary and police the agreement with SBI is its sin gle largest civilian contract.

“We have produced the firs batch. According to the agree ment, we have to deliver 11,000 guns to SBI over a period of three years. These will, however, be sold only through authorised gun dealers in every state,” Rat neshwar Varma, general man ager, RFI, told HT.

SBI has 17,000 branches and more than 48,000 ATMS. “Each gun will retail for around ₹75,000 inclusive of taxes,” said a dealer

C Mohan Mitra, chief genera manager of SBI, told HT, “The new guns will be given to our guards who are posted according to requirement, which is essen tially determined by the size and location of branches and the amount of cash they handle.”