Drug crackdown

THE transfer of nearly 10,000 Punjab Police personnel is being projected by the state government as a demonstration of its resolve to take on the drug mafia. Breaking the nexus between drug peddlers and the police is a key element of the crackdown, the Chief Minister has said. He has warned cops of immediate dismissal from service and confiscation of property if a link is established. This development comes amid a political storm triggered by a report in The Tribune on 14 deaths in 14 days due to drug overdose. The acknowledgement of complaints going unheeded and preferential treatment to the accused puts the police at the front and centre of a flawed strategy to deal with those involved in this nefarious trade. The role of civil society has been no less disappointing. The difficulty in enlarging the scope of social resistance to drugs is symptomatic of a gap in policy planning and community involvement.

Course correction would require a lot more than just the en masse shifting of mainly lower-ranked cops. An attitudinal shift among the rank and file calls for changes, first and foremost in their demanding working conditions. Unreasonably long duty hours and perpetual staff shortage cannot be the foundational basis of a team that is otherwise ready or even motivated to lead a sustained fight against drugs. Stopping the flow of drugs, through drones from across the border or from ports in Gujarat and Maharashtra, needs constant vigil, and thus, enhanced state-Centre coordination.

A reductionist view confining the drug menace to being a Punjab-centric issue and notions of victimhood may be appealing for politicians to indulge in the customary blame game, but that would be a waste of effort. It’s a national fight and should be proclaimed as such. The authorities must seek help from all quarters, heed experts’ voices, explore new solutions — and change may come.