Another interesting blog by Sunita Aron about gun culture prevalent in UP. She blogs about her experience while in Pratapgarh. See some excerpts from original article below.

I had gone to Kunda (Pratapgarh) a few years back to cover assembly elections. The candidate was none other than Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya whose bloodcurdling tales had all lips sealed those days. This was prior to Mayawati finding skeletons in the pond behind his mansion. I quietly asked about the much talked about crocodiles. Raja laughed. I asked him about his terror. He frowned and told me to accompany him to one of his public rally to know the affection his voters had for him.

We drove down to the venue, not far from his mansion. There was frenzy all around — some shouted zindabad, others muscled their way to garland him. Suddenly, I heard a volley of gunshots right from behind. I was too scared. I was about to run away when the heavy-built guy from behind said, “Don’t worry, its just a salute to our Raja.” I looked back and saw dozens of them with guns in their hands.

Thus when a few days later late Ajit Singh, an MLC with a criminal record, walked into my cabin in my office with his gun-totting supporters, I couldn’t stop myself from telling him that they unnecessarily created scare among kids when they moved with arms in public places. He agreed that he would tell his supporters not to flaunt their arms in market areas, while at the same time emphasizing on their need to carry arms, flaunt them too.

More at http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/hindi-heartland/2010/03/23/spike-their-g...