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Tripura CM Biplab Deb (file photo) Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has claimed that Tripura is getting rescued from the clutches of drugs and wrote on social media that 99 individuals were arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) in January and February alone this year.
Posting a chart showcasing police achievements in the fight against drugs in Tripura on his official Twitter handle, Deb on Monday evening showed that 2,452 persons were arrested in 1,672 cases from 2015 till February 28, 2022. Among them, 194 persons were arrested in 2017 and 2,258 persons were arrested since 2018, when the BJP-led government in Tripura assumed office in March.
রাজ্য সরকার নেশার বিরুদ্ধে কঠোর পদক্ষেপ গ্রহণ করছে। নেশা বিরোধী অভিযানে রাজ্য পুলিশ দারুনভাবে কাজ করে যাচ্ছে। কিন্তু যেকোন অভিযান রাজ্যের জনতার অংশীদারত্ব ছাড়া সফলতা লাভ করে না। pic.twitter.com/kFdQge0893
— Biplab Kumar Deb (@BjpBiplab) April 26, 2022
The data also showed that 1,59,407 kg ganja was recovered since 2015 along with 11,13,193 bottles of contraband cough syrup, 44,40,245 drug tablets and 16,464 gm of heroin.
The figures show while 14,460 kg ganja was recovered from 2015-2017, a whopping 86,146 kg ganja was recovered since the BJP-led government came to power. Similar figures are shown for contraband cough syrup, drug tablets and heroin.
Out of 16,464 gm heroin recovered as per the data posted by the chief minister, only 1,525 gm was recovered till 2017.
However, the BJP-Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) coalition government assumed office only in March 2018 and the breakup of January and February of that year isn’t available.
Along with the data, CM Deb wrote, “The picture, if seen in comparison, is clear. Police initiatives are several times higher than before. Contraband drug items are seized in high quantum. @bjpbiplab.”
Deb holds the Home portfolio along with health and several other crucial departments.
The CPI(M)’s alleged complicity with drug trade was one of the major poll campaign issues raised that catapulted the BJP to power in 2018. Since coming to power, Deb has been vocal against drug peddling and drug abuse as part of his call for building a ‘Nasha Mukt Tripura’ or addiction-free Tripura.
In sync with his claim of heightened police activity and government stricture against drugs, Deb’s data shows that while only 211 NDPS cases were registered from 2015-2017, 1,461 cases were booked under the anti-drug trade act till February 28 this year. Among them, 84 cases were booked only in January and February this year.
The police have also destroyed 5.87 crore ganja seedlings or nursery saplings since 2015. Among them, only 38.78 lakh seedlings were destroyed before 2018.
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