Uprooting Drug Menace: Assam CM Gives Police ‘Operational Freedom’ To Tackle Drug Traffickers & Dealers
Sarma, who was speaking at a seized drug disposal event in Golaghat, said the police has been asked to “act decisively” to uproot the drug menace from the society.
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said the police has been given complete “operational freedom” to deal with drug traffickers and dealers.
Sarma, who was speaking at a seized drug disposal event in Golaghat, said the police has been asked to “act decisively” to uproot the drug menace from the society.
“I want to give this clear message to the drug dealers that as the chief minister, I have given full freedom to the police to take toughest actions as allowed by law against this crime,” PTI quoted Sarma as saying.
The Chief Minister said the Assam Police “will set its own boundaries and fulfil its responsibilities”.
“After getting this operational freedom, police has been more relentless in its pursuit against the drug dealers,” he added.
The Chief Minister further said that increased action on snapping the drug supply and consumption chains throughout the northeast has been underway in the last two years’ after
Sarma at another similar event in Diphu said the police have been given operational freedom to act firmly and decisively within the law to uproot the illegal trade.
He added that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had during his visit to Assam two years ago held deliberations with the Director Generals of Police (DGPs) of the north-eastern states on ways to cut drug supply lines.
Stating that action against drug trafficking across the region has accelerated after that meeting, Sarma said “strong intelligence network and cultivating sources” were absolutely necessary to deal with it as the “people inside the government” are also involved in these rackets due to the lure of easy money.
The Chief Minister claimed that many insurgent outfits were using drug-addicted youth as their cadre.
He said that questions raised by some MLAs in the assembly over the shooting of drug dealers while they were trying to flee police custody are “misplaced” as any leniency that could lead to the escape of even one drug dealer would spell doom for more youths of the state.
Asserting that he has urged the police to use the toughest laws to curb the drug menace, Sarma said it is destroying the state’s social fabric and pushing an entire generation into darkness.
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The Chief Minister informed the media in Diphu that drugs worth Rs 163 crore have been seized and 1,493 people arrested since his government assumed office two months ago.