Govt committed to wipe out drug trade: Nimisha Mehta

Tribune News Service

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Jalandhar, October 31

Congress spokesperson Nimisha Mehta today warned the “blacksheep” in the Punjab Police to “shun the habit of collecting money from drug mafia that it had allegedly developed during the SAD-BJP regime”.

Nimisha today showed the video footage of an incident of Mahilpur dating October 27 night, wherein a gunman of SHO Mahilpur reportedly landed in the house of a woman Jasbir Kaur and asked her and her family to start selling intoxicants and pay them 50,000 monthly. As per the version of Jasbir Kaur, the SHO had personally met the woman and had been sending his gunman for constantly pressurising them to sell drugs and pay them a monthly amount.

Citing details of the already reported incident, “On this night, as the gunman of the SHO landed in their house, he started abusing the family members. When they warned him of calling the higher authorities, he called the SHO, who came with a huge force to rescue his gunman. On seeing a battery of mediapersons, the policemen fled from the spot.”

Next day on questioning by the press, the SHO said that a man was carrying a bag loaded with poppy husk and his gunman was following him and on seeing a policeman, these people dragged him into their house and beat him. Therefore, Jasbir Kaur and family have been booked.”

Questioning the working of the police, the Congress spokesperson asked, “If a man with a sackful of poppy husk entered the house of Jasbir Kaur and policeman had followed him, why did the police, which had reached the spot, not arrest the family members there and then for manhandling the cop? Why did the police fail to make any recovery when it had already reached the spot? Why did the policemen decide just to flee with their man rather than taking proper action when they could have drug recovery also? Why did the police not add any section of drug smuggling when they alleged that the family had got a bagful of poppy? What made the Mahilpur police run away on seeing mediapersons rather than taking action?”

Nimisha Mehta said Capt Amarinder Singh, his government and entire Congress party were hellbent to oust drug business in Punjab, but the “blacksheep” in the Police Department were trying to push people into drug mafia for making money. She said she would soon meet the DGP over this issue to apprise him of the situation. Mehta said it’s better these policemen shunned these dirty practices or they would face dire consequences.

SHO Mahilpur Balwinder Singh countered, saying, “The allegations against my gunman are baseless. Since the woman had stepped out of jail just a few days ago, my gunman was just trying to keep a close watch on her and her family when the incident occurred. We have booked the woman and her married daughters under Sections 353, 186, 341, 342 and 149 of the IPC.”