A video of a member of the Punjab police taking drugs surfaced today and is being widely circulated online, bringing home how deep the state's drug menace has spread its tentacles. The policeman has been identified and action has been taken against him.
The video shows the policeman sitting on a cot and inhaling heroin. A second person present appears to be filming him.
Sources said Pravin Kumar is the gunman of a senior political leader based in Hoshiarpur.
The Special Superintendent of Police, Hoshiarpur, told NDTV, "We have immediately transferred him from security duty to police lines. We have also initiated departmental action against him".
"We have started further investigation into this matter. Preliminary investigation revealed that he got admitted in a de-addiction centre by his family. The police are working on various angles to get this video investigated," he added.
The battle against drugs have been on for nearly two decades in Punjab during which all the key political parties in the state had a turn at the governance but the menace has continued unabated. The parties have been pointing fingers at each other for failing to control the proliferation of drugs.
Under the current "Yudh Nashian Virudh" anti-drugs campaign, since March 1, 13,665 FIRs have been registered, 18,424 arrests made, and 900 kg heroin, 332 kg opium, 13 kg charas, 6 kg Crystal Methamphetamine (Ice) and Rs 11.5 crore drug money seized.
Over the last years, the police have focused on end users - the victims of addiction -- and have been sending them to de-addiction centres instead of jail.
Reports say more than 10,000 users have been persuaded to enter residential rehabilitation programmes or register with OOAT (Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment) clinics.
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