Shimla, March 20 The Himachal Assembly on Friday witnessed uproar over the alleged rising drug menace, with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu accusing the BJP of politicizing and sensationalizing sensitive issues for political gain.
The drug menace in the state has not emerged solely in the last three years since the Congress came to power, the chief minister said, and added that it was during the tenure of the previous BJP government that the drug menace spread to villages.
Sukhu said the state government has identified the specific panchayats in the state where the drug problem is most acute, with the aim of ensuring that no mother loses her child to narcotics.
He informed the House that 11 police personnel and eight government employees involved in the trafficking of 'chitta' (adulterated heroin) have been dismissed from service, while 60 other individuals have been sent to jail.
He emphasized that it was the police force itself that arrested four personnel from the Kullu Anti-Drug Task Force who were found to be colluding with the drug mafia.
Four personnel of the Himachal CID were arrested on Thursday for their alleged involvement in drug trafficking.
While the chief minister was speaking, BJP legislators stood up on their seats and left the House amidst slogan-shouting. However, the chief minister continued with his speech and said, "In this battle against narcotics, I seek the cooperation of everyone, including the Opposition."
Sukhu said Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Jai Ram Thakur tends to lose his temper without any provocation and added that perhaps he has become irritable and impatient due to the ongoing factionalism within the BJP itself.
He reiterated that the objective of the 'Walkathon Against Drugs' is to generate public awareness and affirmed that stringent measures are being implemented to curb the drug menace within the state.
Earlier, raising the issue of the arrest of four Kullu police personnel involved in the smuggling of 'chitta' (synthetic drugs), Thakur said that instead of misusing the police force to serve its own political interests, the state government should take concrete action against the drug mafia.
He alleged that rather than taking strict action against the drug mafia, police personnel are being kept busy monitoring the activities of politicians and tracking whom they are speaking to over the phone.
Thakur expressed deep regret that a disciplined force like the police, whose primary responsibility is to curb crime and the menace of narcotics, has itself been found to be colluding with the drug mafia.
He alleged that four police personnel posted in the Anti-Drug Special Task Force in Kullu had seized narcotics worth Rs 3 crore but allowed the accused to go unpunished.
The LoP asserted that instead of misusing the police force to fulfil its political agenda, the government should make serious efforts to curb the proliferation of synthetic drugs. These efforts, he emphasised, should not be limited merely to areas bordering the neighbouring states but must be pursued with equal seriousness in the most remote corners of Himachal Pradesh as well.
He said that certain officials, in an attempt to appease the chief minister, are organising large-scale events such as 'walkathons' against narcotics solely for the sake of optics.
The BJP MLA from Una, Satpal Singh Satti, demanded that the integrity of police personnel assigned to such sensitive duties be rigorously vetted, ensuring that such responsibilities are entrusted to honest and upright officers, rather than to individuals who, while wearing the police uniform, provide patronage to the drug mafia.