Mir Farhat
SRINAGAR, Jan 10: A senior professor of University of Kashmir today accused the State police of being “hand-in-glove” with drug mafia, warning that if police didn’t act immediately, the “epidemic of drug mafia will reach to their thresholds.”
While speaking at the commemoration function of five years of Police Drug De-addiction Centre, Srinagar at University of Kashmir, Dean Academic Affairs of the university, Muhammad Ashraf Wani said if the concerned authorities continue with this “callous approach, it will sink them and sink us all.”
“Police has started certain initiatives to tackle drug mafia across the State but in some of the cases, they are hand in glove with the drug mafia as they were facilitating them in carrying out their criminal activities,” Prof Wani alleged. The statement unnerved the top police brass, including Inspector General of Police, Abdul Gani Mir, who was present at the function.
Wani claimed that some high-rung police officials are in “collaboration with deep -rooted” drug mafia in the State.
“A large part of the population in Kashmir has become victim of drug abuse. It is only police who facilitate them in carrying out their criminal activities,” Prof Wani said.
Referring to some areas of South Kashmir, he claimed some police officials were allegedly allowing the drug menace to grow.
Faced with the embarrassing situation at the function, the IGP said that whenever there has been any involvement of policemen in drug-related activity, the police has acted swiftly against the accused.
Replying to the accusation pointed out by the Professor, he said: “Professor Wani pointed out that there is some co-operation going on between police and drug mafia. But then let me assure you that we have been trying our best in that area also. We have sent a lot of persons behind the bars. We have slapped PSA on them,” Mir said.
He said in year 2014, a total of 282 persons were arrested under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act, 1985. And more than 8000 people have been treated at the police’s drug de-addiction centers in Anantnag and Baramulla districts and the one in Srinagar.
Mir assured the audience at the function that police will be more active in eradicating drug menace “because it is the cause which is very near to our hearts. It is not only for us but for the whole society.”
At the same time, the IGP said there has to be responsibility in the availability and sale of such drugs which are being abused. “Till that happens, we cannot control the menace,” he said.
Mir also said that eradicating drug abuse from the state has become the second most challenge after fighting militancy.
“The drug abuse is threatening to consume a whole generation after we lost one generation to the violence,” Mir said, adding drug addiction is an emerging menace in the society which has shattered not only individuals and families but whole generation together.
“We cannot afford to lose our next generation to drugs as we have already lost a generation to violence,” he said.
The IGP said though the magnitude of the problem in the Valley was not as big as in some other States of the country, the menace would affect a generation if it goes unchecked.
“If menace is not checked right now, it will assume bigger proportions. It will assume larger magnitude and it will affect our society, our youth and our generation together. It is in this context that JK police tried to understand its role and started contributing towards eradicating this menace,” he said.
Mir said besides running a Srinagar drug de-addiction centre, police has also set up de-addiction centers in Anantnag and Baramulla, besides starting school mental health programme to reach to the school kids as well from the last year.
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