CAG report on missing guns is for Kerala government, I have no role: Guv Arif Mohammed

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Saturday defended himself from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report of shortage 25 INSAS rifles and 12,061 live cartridges from the SAPB. The Governor said that the report was for the government and he had no role to play in it. 

Speaking to the reporters, Khan said, "This is for the government, not for me. There is a procedure for everything. We have institutions and we must learn to respect them. This report will go to PAC, from there it might go to Assembly. I have no role in that."

 As per a recent report released by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), 25 rifles and 12,061 live cartridges are missing from Special Armed Police Battalion (SAPB) of the Kerala Police. This was unveiled after the CAG came out with its report on the audit of modernisation of weapons. The audit also observed that the Stock Register and related records of arms and ammunition in the SAPB were not properly maintained. 

What the CAG report stated

The CAG report stated, "The entries in the Stock Registers had many over writings, use of white correction fluid and striking off of entries etc. The entries and corrections were not properly authenticated. The audit could not find any evidence of the conduct of periodical physical verification by higher officers from the records available at SAPB." 

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Reportedly, the CAG also observed that the police allegedly tried to cover-up the incident instead of taking action against those responsible. As per the Investigation Board constituted in September 2015, there was an attempt to cover up an earlier shortage of 7.62 mm M80 bullets for Self-Loading Rifles, stated the CAG report. 

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Opposition demands for probe  

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala has demanded a probe into the matter. Speaking to news agency ANI, he had said, "This is a serious finding from CAG that has implication on national security. Where has this missing rifles and live cartridges gone? Congress demands a probe by a high-level agency like NIA or CBI." 

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(With ANI Inputs)