Drug abuse sparks protest in Sirsa

Residents of Jiwan Nagar Theri village in Haryana’s Sirsa district staged a protest on Wednesday against the alleged open sale of medical drugs and narcotics in their area, blaming police inaction for the growing crisis.

Villagers, including women and local leaders, raised slogans against the Jiwan Nagar police chowki and the district administration. They alleged that despite several complaints, the police had failed to act against those selling drugs openly in the village.

Mahinder Kaur, Baljeet Kaur, Manpreet Kaur, Raj Kaur, Sarabjeet Kaur, Dr Joban Singh, Prince, Joshan, and Gurlal were among those who said that drugs were being sold in every street and neighbourhood, just a few kilometers away from the local police chowki. According to them, 20 youths aged between 18 and 25 had died of drug overdose in the past two years.

“Despite repeated complaints to the police and village council, no concrete action has been taken. The police only give verbal assurances and then do nothing,” the villagers said.

They alleged that some local individuals were behind the drug supply and that the youth of the village were falling victim to addiction.

The protesting villagers urged the administration to take immediate and strict action against drug dealers. They warned that if the issue was not addressed soon, they would be forced to intensify their protests.

Baljeet Singh, a representative of the village panchayat, said sarpanches from several nearby villages had jointly met with officials at the Jiwan Nagar police chowki and also informed the DSP and SP of Sirsa. However, they claimed there was no effective response.

“Our youth are dying, but the police and administration are not listening. Where should the villagers go now?” Singh asked.

Meanwhile, Jiwan Nagar police post in-charge ASI Kuldeep Singh said no formal complaint had been received from the village recently. He said the police were taking action regularly and had previously conducted door-to-door campaigns to help the youth with de-addiction. He urged villagers to inform the police if they had any information about drug dealers or users so that strict action could be taken.