Proposal under examination in Police Hqrs
LG to take final decision shortly
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 11: In a bid to rein in the increasing menace of drugs, an exercise has been set into motion for establishment of Anti-Narcotics Task Force in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on the pattern of neighbouring States of Punjab and Haryana, which have achieved major success in curbing peril through this mechanism.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that Inspector General of Police Crime Manish Sinha has recently submitted a proposal to the Jammu and Kashmir Police Headquarters for establishment of Anti-Narcotics Task Force so as to pay exclusive attention towards the menace, which has already assumed alarming proportion in this Union Territory.
In the proposal, suggestion has been made for establishment of training, raid, investigation and other units under Anti-Narcotics Task Force so as to ensure that all the vital aspects receive attention strictly as per the provisions of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPSA), sources informed.
“In the proposal numerous suggestions have also been made so that acquittals in NDPSA cases are checked and conviction rate is increased up to the desired level to have deterrent impact”, sources further said while disclosing that Advisor to Lieutenant Governor Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, who has served as Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau, has already endorsed the proposal after receiving power point presentation in this regard from the Inspector General of Police Crime.
They disclosed, “at present the proposal regarding establishment of Anti-Narcotics Task Force is under examination in the Police Headquarters and following the approval of the Director General of Police Dilbag Singh the same will be placed before the Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu for his final decision”.
It is pertinent to mention here that neighbouring States of Punjab and Haryana, which are also reeling under menace of drugs, have already established Anti-Narcotics Task Force and through this Force these States have achieved major success in curbing the menace.
“No additional infrastructure is required to be created for this special force and only manpower has to be transferred from different wings of Jammu and Kashmir Police for its functioning as such no financial implication is involved”, sources said, adding “the Anti-Narcotics Task Force would act as a strong and effective mechanism to curb drug menace in Jammu and Kashmir”.
They further said, “the Anti-Narcotics Task Force will be able to tackle drug menace in a holistic manner through enforcement, education, engagement and liaison with different agencies both civil and police at different levels”.
“Moreover, the trained manpower at the disposal of this special force will be able to strictly implement the provisions of Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act right from the stage of seizure of drugs, which will help in checking acquittals, which are generally ordered by the courts due to ineffective handling of the NDPSA cases”, sources said.
It is worthwhile to mention here that police personnel deployed in the Police Stations and Police Posts are not trained to effectively handle the NDPSA cases as such leave lacunas during investigation, which finally lead to acquittal of the drug smugglers and courts have on numerous occasions passed strictures against the investigating officers.
“Day in and day out, despite pointing out of the flaws in the investigation of the NDPS cases, the police administration has done little to ensure that the loop holes in the investigations are plugged. The investigations are being carried out either by inefficient officers backed by poor supervision or are being deliberately shaped to ensure that the trial ultimately ends in the acquittal of the accused”. These are the common observations of several courts while deciding the NDPSA cases.
Though Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was also prepared by the Home Department on the directions of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court yet the same is not being strictly followed thus leading to high acquittal rate.
Follow our WhatsApp channel