Sukhmeet Bhasin
Bathinda, May 9
Residents of Bir Talab village today opened a front against drug peddlers by vowing to eradicate the menace from the area. The Bir Talab Basti area in the district has earned notoriety for being the hub of illicit liquor trade and drugs.
Planning search op
We had conducted searches earlier by cordoning off the village, but didn’t find anything. We are again planning input-based search operation in the area. J Elanchezhian, Bathinda SSP
This came after women of the village vented their ire on the police over alleged lack of action against peddlers. Maya Kaur and Harjinder Kaur, both residents, alleged the police often released drug peddlers within hours of apprehending them.
“The police claim nothing incriminating has been found from suspects’ premises. If the police or government can’t eradicate drugs, shoot us. We can no longer see any of their family die from drugs,” they said, adding if the police could enforce lockdown, why couldn’t they act against the suspects.
Villagers claimed a large number of people visited the village daily to buy drugs. Lakhwinder Singh, a resident, said they were willing to name the drug peddlers.
ASI Prem Kumar assured the people of stepping up efforts to eradicate drugs and said the addicts must be admitted to de-addiction centres.
The residents later gathered at the village gurdwara, where they took a vow not to allow anyone to deal in drugs. “If anyone is caught selling drugs, he should bear the consequences,” they said.
Jeet Kaur, a resident, claimed her 35-year-old son died due to drugs. Now, her two minor grandchildren were also addicted. “They are only 15 and 16. They ask for money and if they don’t get it, they fight,” she rued.
Chhindo, another resident, said her sister-in-law’s son, 20, who had come to the village for a wedding died of overdose. “He was the only son of his parents. The situation is such that village youth have been committing thefts or robberies to get their fix,” she said.
Bathinda SSP J Elanchezhian said: “We had conducted search operations earlier by cordoning off the village, but didn’t get anything. We are again planning input-based search operation in the area.”
Bathinda village opens front against drugs
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