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| Nexus between drug peddlers and policemen cannot be ruled out | | | Jamwal Mahadeep Singh
SHO hits "jackpot" by striking deal with drug dealers, news hitting the headlines of a Jammu based local daily in its edition of 16 September 2018, adding another chapter into the chain link of police officers having their hands in glove with drug mafia. It perturb the common man and on the other, it speaks of loosening grip over their sub-ordinates by district, range and zonal heads in Jammu region and their silence is more disturbing. Is it their inefficiency, helplessness or something else, civil society has every right to ask for. Drug abuse is a chronic disease. This condition involves the use and abuse of drugs despite harmful consequences. One consequence of drug abuse is addiction. The drug menace is at an alarming stage and day by day it is consuming our young buds. No doubt we come across many tall statements of our Police at Zone, Range and District levels of their priority to curb this menace and occasionally, we also witness and read stories of their success in napping the drug peddlers that are carried by the print media with photographs of the police party. Occasionally such show off becomes a laughing stock for the public, when a recovery of just 2/3 grams of contraband even by a patrolling constable is flashed as a big bang that operation was carried under well co-ordinate manner under direct supervision of I/C PP, SHO, SDPO, SP and District SP. But at the same pages such stories also appear where the image of police is tarnished by the stories of same police having hand in glove with drug peddlers and setting them free by negotiations after accepting money from handlers of the drug mafia.
We remember the story of an IPS officer Saji Mohan, a J&K-cadre officer, laterally while on deputation was arrested by Mumbai police in 2009, while in possession of 12 kg heroin and also involved in pilfering heroin from unclaimed seizures lying in the storeroom (Maalkhana) of the NCB zonal headquarters at Chandigarh. The officer stand convicted for 13-year jail term along with his one SP associate from NCB, Nasib Chand a drug peddler from Jammu and one J&K police constable in 2013. The convicted officer has served in J&K in some districts as district head also.
We cannot forget the warning shots of Ch. Lal Singh, when he was Health Minister in J&K Government in 2015, when while speaking in the state Legislative Assembly in response to the recommendations of various lawmakers on how to curb drug menace in the state, he stated "Police is responsible for increasing drug menace in the state. Police know the source of drugs, but they (policemen) save them. These police men are taking money from drug dealers and our drug control department is not able to do anything. If the Drug Control Department has to raid any drug-store, the SSPs, SHOs from whom we seek protection during the time of the raid since we don't have own force available, these (police officers) inform drug dealers prior to the raid as they are hand in glove with each other. I have seen how Class 9th, 10th students are increasingly becoming habitual of taking drugs and then spread to others, when they go to colleges." The dramatic disclosers were by Choudhary were in presence of then DGP J&K police.
To cite these two eye openers, I mean to say that even after such disclosers, the J&K police department failed to mend its image and its efforts remain confined to the level of constituting special teams and launching special operations like 'Sanjivni'. Jammu Police launched various programmes and drives to give relief to general public and one of the initiatives has been earmarked as "ANANDD" (Anti-Narcotic & Drugs) under operation 'Sanjeevani'. We can appreciate some achievements under operation 'Sanjivni' but not to the extent the menace is prevalent in the society and it is evident from increasing number of youth dying as a result of the drug menace across Jammu region. A large catchy of 15 kg heroine and cash of Rs 24 Lacs some time back by Jammu police although deserve pat but it failed to curtail the desired results of increasing drug menace. Drug abuse is taking the lives of youth in the Jammu region. An officer of the Deputy Inspector General rank in Jammu admitted that deaths due to drug addiction had been going on unabated.
The general public silently watching the activities of the police for a considerable period that yielded more failures and less success have now starting pouring on roads against police failure to grip the drug peddlers and their handlers. People's anger against the failure of the authorities to check the drug menace can be gauged from the protests against the sitting police head of districts, ranges and at zone level. Few months back hundreds of enraged residents gathered at the Jammu-Srinagar national highway near Narwal on the outskirt of Jammu city to lodge their protest. Similar protests, we have seen from other districts also, where drug abuse is claiming lives on regular basis. People now understanding the statement of then Health Minister in 2015 and now believe that narcotics business is flourishing in J&K because of the nexus between drug peddlers and policemen. People have a reason to point a finger of suspicion at policemen because a Sub-Inspector (SI) was recently arrested for his connivance with drug peddlers. The police officer used to work as a courier for the drug mafia. Earlier also, policemen have been arrested for their involvement with the drug mafia in the state and more sensational break up news by a print media of letting free a drug peddler by none else than a District Superintendent of Police from Jammu Zone for consideration of Rs.1.5 lacs. Recent escaping of two drug peddlers from one of the police station under Jammu Zone also not goes in favor of police that it is working sincerely towards drug menace. The general public failed to hear few words from the zonal head on the issues. A social group working against drug abuse in Jammu has claimed that 162 deaths had been reported in Jammu district only due to drug addiction in the last two and a half years but else can be than this discloser of failure of police?
To deal with the increasing trend of drug abuse, we are required to handle it on two fronts; the awareness about effects of the drug addiction and to handle the chain link of source, handlers, suppliers. On awareness platter, there are number of social organizations, school, colleges and even police department working against the use of drugs by conducting rallies, debates, paper readings and exhibiting visuals and pictures and these measures have impacted the society and their efforts will definitely bring results. Whereas to bring to books the chain link involved in providing the drugs, there are many departments but main player are: Narcotic Crime Bureau (NCB), Drug Control Department, and of course Police department. The presence of black sheep in all the three departments has surfaced from time to time. When we speak of Police in J&K, it is required to act on certain fronts to tackle the drug menace. A well knit web of informers and sources required to be created to get information of the drug peddlers operating in the vicinity and indulging in trans-border activities of drug consignments. The District Special Branch and CID wing of police department required to be recharged on this front. The police, DSB, CID and informers net work required to assimilate on one platter for concrete results. The huge amount of source money pumped by the PHQ at district, range and zonal offices is required to be utilized in right perspective and efficient manner in creation of this web net work of information obtaining system. An honest, dedicated officer with missionary zeal is required to be put exclusive on this job only. At the zonal level, identification is required to be taken up of the police officers/officials having even a slight involvement with drug peddlers and their conduits and such element is required to be dealt with iron hands rather than with slippery and gentle hands that are seen as helpless and weak so for. The cases registered under NDPS Act required to be investigated by proficient hands by putting prosecution agency as legal guidance so that police can secure convictions from the trial courts that are abysmal at present. Trumpeting of bells of doing much in this field with no positive results is no more acceptable to the society and civil society has set its slogan as 'Perform or Perish'.
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