Dismantle drug supply network, Mann tells district police chiefs

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday directed the state police to dismantle the drug-supply network in the state and issued a warning that district police chiefs will be held accountable for major crimes taking place in their jurisdiction.

The CM said he will monitor the police action on a daily basis and stressed that the corruption prevailing in the higher echelons of the force needs to be checked with a heavy hand.

“All black sheep in the police force should be identified and strict action should be taken against them,” he said during a meeting with senior superintendents of police and police commissioners here.

The push to check the drug menace has come amid the mounting criticism of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the alleged drug-related deaths in the state.

Last month, in a regional conference on drug trafficking and national security, Mann had sought a one-time assistance of Rs 600 crore from union Home Minister Amit Shah to set up special NDPS courts for faster disposal of drug cases.

Mann had told Shah that around 35,000 drug cases are pending in state courts, whose disposal will take almost 11 years, if gone by the present rate of disposal.

Interacting with the police officers, Mann stressed that the war against drugs should be transformed into a mass movement and village panchayats should be encouraged for participation in the crusade.

“A zero tolerance policy should be adopted and no one involved in this heinous crime should be spared,” he said.

Later, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said the CM has issued strict directions to act against police officers for registering false cases.

“The CM has received complaints about the registration of false FIRs from various places. We have ordered remedial measures and action will be taken over it,” he told reporters.

He said about 150 police personnel have been dismissed in the past few years for the dereliction of duty and helping criminals.

Yadav said the department will also recruit about 10,000 police personnel soon. The DGP said the police will also get a fleet of new vehicles soon.