Chawla cautions against anti-drug drive by police
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, March 24
Vetern BJP leader Laxmi Kanta Chawla today warned the Punjab Government over its anti-drug drive while stating that a number of allegedly false cases were registered during a similar drive launched by the then SAD-BJP government and it failed to provide desired results.
She said the Congress government was repeating the same mistake of the previous government by giving all powers to the Police Department to eradicate the drug abuse.
“Ironically, scores of teenage boys were put behind bars for a similar offence of recovering narcotic powder from their possession. However, in a large number of cases, the so-called narcotic powder failed the laboratory tests,” she pointed out.
A CCTV video also came to light in which a youth was captured from his house in the early morning and no recovery was made from him at that time. But a case was registered against him, showing recovery of prohibited material. The youth got relief from the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
She said Capt Amarinder Singh should also control his party leaders who were now delivering speeches for the eradication of rampant drug abuse, but they were also responsible for it. She also urged the Chief Minister to constitute a high-level investigation team to ascertain the truth in the cases in which hundreds of youths were arrested and lodged in jails for alleged possession of narcotics during the previous government’s tenure.