No let-up in attacks on anti-drug panels

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, December 20

Though the anti-drug committees in Muktsar have helped the police in arresting 65 persons with drugs in the past few months, suffered four murderous attacks and received threats, the police have not provided them any security cover and that too after promising them.

Two persons, one of them recently booked in an NDPS Act case, presently out on bail, had last evening attacked two members of the anti-drug committee of Ghagga village. They are still hospitalised. Earlier, in August some suspected drug peddlers had attacked the committee members in this village when they tried to stop two persons for frisking.

Similarly, in August, some alleged drug peddlers had opened fires by entering some houses at Shamkhera village. The victims were police sympathisers and helping in controlling drug menace. In August, an anti-drug committee member of Kotli Ablu village too had suffered bullet injury.

Thereafter, the police had promised to deploy two personnel with each committee for better patrolling at night hours. However, it did not happen till date, except of once.

Further, the police at local level had deployed two constables for security purposes with the coordinator of anti-drug committees, but that too were recalled a few days ago.

Parveen Bansal, coordinator, anti-drug committees, Muktsar, said, “At one hand, the police have asked us to start the similar committees in Faridkot, but on the other hand we are feeling unsafe in our own district. Our panel members have even got success in arresting a number of people with drugs, suffered murderous attacks and received threats as well. However, there are no proper security arrangements. The police, however, sometimes reach the spot even two hour late after getting the information.”

Rajbachan Singh Sandhu, SSP, Muktsar, said, “In yesterday’s attack on two people at Ghagga village, a criminal case has been registered.”