Flouting ban, Sangrur villagers sow poppy

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, October 7

Despite a ban, a few residents of Bhattiwal Kalan village have sown poppy seeds and announced that more villagers would follow the suit. After getting information, the Bhawanigarh police started an investigation.

“A majority of villagers here want to cultivate poppy husk to save the youth from synthetic drugs like ‘chitta’ and smack. We have not seen a single person who died after taking opium or poppy husk. We have sown poppy husk in some area of our village,” said Karmjit Singh, a former member of the Bhattiwal Kalan village panchayat.

The villagers gathered near Bhawanigarh on the Samana road on Saturday and sowed poppy.

“The campaign for getting permission to cultivate poppy husk has been gaining momentum and prominent personalities like Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi has batted for legalising poppy cultivation in the state. CM Capt Amarinder Singh must allow it if he is serious about saving the youth of the state,” said Gurmeet Singh, a villager.

“Though we live in different states, we all are the citizens of the same country. Then why the Centre has allowed the cultivation of poppy husk only in a few states,” a youth added.

Pritpal Singh, SHO, Bhawanigarh police station, said the matter had come to his knowledge. “We are conducting investigations and will take legal action,” he said.