By IANS,
New Delhi : Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand have recorded about two-thirds of India’s firearm-related deaths in 2008, even as states like Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Kerala close to the then war zone like Sri Lanka had the lowest, a UN study released Tuesday said.
The study, “Mapping Murder – The Geography of Indian Firearm Fatalities”, also warned that unlicensed firearms accounted for 86-92 percent of reported firearm-related murders.
The report, authored by Anil Kohli of the department of forensic medicine of Delhi-based University College of Medical Sciences for UN-sponsored India Armed Violence Assessment (IAVA), noted that in 2008 Uttar Pradesh recorded 1,470 murders, 162 suicides and another 1,197 accidental deaths, all caused by firearms.
In the same year, Bihar recorded 622 murders, seven suicides and 16 accidental deaths by firearms, while Jharkhand reported 467 murders, 53 suicides and an accidental death of the same nature.
The total of 2,829 firearm-related deaths in Uttar Pradesh was the highest, with Bihar’s 664 and Jharkhand’s 521 deaths coming close behind, the report said.
The three states’ total — 4,014 deaths — accounted for two-thirds of the total 6,219 firearm-related deaths recorded across the country in 2008, the report said.
Tamil Nadu, Pondichery and Kerala recorded the lowest figures among all states and union territories in the number of deaths caused by firearms.
While there were no deaths due to fire-arms in Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu only had two murders, 22 suicides and no accidental death and Kerala recorded just one accidental death, the report added.
The report was edited by Aaron Karp of Small Arms Survey and data collated by Sonal Marwah of IAVA for the UN.