Chandigarh: Taking serious note of the theft of 32 licensed firearms from a police station storeroom in Faridabad, the Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has ordered a state-wide review of security arrangements across all police station armouries in Haryana.




In an order dated Nov 2, HHRC member Deep Bhatia directed the Haryana director general of police (DGP) to examine access controls, security protocols, and supervisory mechanisms at every police station to prevent future breaches. The DGP must submit a comprehensive action-taken report by Jan 11, 2027.




The commission’s intervention stems from a July 16 complaint filed by Panchkula-based advocate Gitanjali regarding the theft of 32 civilian weapons deposited for safe custody at the Sector 8 police station in Faridabad.




According to a police report submitted to the commission, an apprentice identified as Monu, who was assisting with daily diary entries and storeroom operations, used his familiarity with records to facilitate the theft. Following an investigation initiated by ESI Bijender, Monu and 28 co-accused were arrested. Faridabad police confirmed that all 32 stolen firearms have been recovered and a challan was presented in court on Aug 6, 2026.




The commission criticised the practice of permitting non-regular staff access to sensitive police storerooms, observing that citizens surrender weapons expecting safe custody. The panel added that any breach risks exposing licence holders to legal entanglements and trauma if stolen arms are used in crimes.




HHRC assistant registrar Dr Puneet Arora stated that the DGP has also been instructed to investigate systemic and supervisory lapses and institute corrective measures. The matter will be heard next on Jan 11, 2027, at the commission’s camp court in Gurugram.




The HHRC highlighted that the incident echoes past security failures, notably the 2016 Jat reservation agitation where 94 deposited civilian weapons were looted from the Meham police station in Rohtak and 53 from Pillu Khera in Jind. A 2019 Punjab and Haryana high court ruling also flagged a missing revolver looted from Meham, with several weapons remaining untraced years later.