AAP seeks stringent steps to check drug menace

Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday met Punjab Chief Minister

Capt Amarinder Singh to demand stringent steps to check the deadly drug menace in the state besides breaking the drug-police nexus to control the menace.

Responding to the concerns expressed by 12-member AAP delegation on the issue of drugs menace particularly in the context of the recent spate of drug-related deaths, the Chief Minister said that he had sought a report on the allegations of involvement in drugs against the new Moga SSP Kamaljit Singh Dhillon.

At the same time, Capt Amarinder ruled out an inquiry against the state Director General of Police (DGP) Suresh Arora and the DGP (Intelligence) Dinkar Gupta over the allegations of shielding Moga’s former SSP Raj Jit Singh, while describing the two as “upright officers in whose honesty I have full faith”.

Sharing the main opposition party’s concern over the problem, the Chief Minister said that three big drug dealers who had fled India had been identified, and the police and other agencies were in pursuit of them.

Assuring the AAP delegation, including party’s state unit president Bhagwant Mann, co-president Dr Balbir Singh, the Leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Sukhpal Khaira, and nine MLAs, that no laxity would be tolerated in curbing the drugs menace, he said that strict action would be taken against anyone found involved in the drugs trade.

Capt Amarinder briefed AAP leaders about the Special Working Group formed by the Cabinet to monitor the action taken against drugs and also informed them about his decision to personally review the progress every Monday.

Two CISF companies have been deployed in jails for frisking and security duties to check smuggling of drugs and weapons into the prisons, he further told the delegation.

AAP leaders, who demanded a special Assembly session to discuss the issue, expressed concern over the easy availability of drugs in certain areas, as well as reports of sharing of drug money with police.

Describing the drugs menace as a social challenge, which started a decade ago due to large-scale unemployment and agrarian crisis, Khaira said that Capt Amarinder Singh and his government were not solely to blame for the situation.

“No Chief Minister would ever want drugs becoming an issue for his regime,” said Khaira, while welcoming the dismissal of the two police men accused of dragging women into drug abuse and peddling.