Cops involved in drug trade will be dismissed: Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann

Any police official found involved in drug trade would be dismissed from service and the property of traffickers attached Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Tuesday while announcing tough steps to break the nexus between lowrank police officials and smugglersMann also announced the transfer of police officials at lower levels on a mass scale across the state and added that 10000 police personnel would be recruited to strengthen the departmentInteracting with reporters after a meeting with the senior superintendents of police SSPs here Mann said the police department would see reforms soonDuring the justconcluded Lok Sabha elections a huge quantity of drugs and cash were seized in Punjab the chief minister saidWe got clues from where those came and what their destinations were We have the details he saidMann said the day the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls ended he called the director general of police and told him to take further action against the drug menaceThe chief minister said police officers have been asked to transform the war against drugs into a mass movementThere have been allegations that officials have been working at the same police station for over 10 years he said adding that somewhere or the other favouritism is going onSuggesting there was a nexus between lower rank police officials and drug peddlers the chief minister asked the state police chief to transfer officials posted at police stations immediatelyIf any police official is found involved in the sale of drugs it will be seen as a sin and strict action will be taken He will be dismissed Later he will be questioned to find out how long this was going on Mann saidThe chief minister further said if any drug smuggler is caught then his property will be attached It will be done within a week of him getting caughtDirector General of Police Gaurav Yadav said more than 10000 personnel from the constable level have been transferred A massive administrative reshuffle was being undertaken he saidThe Punjab police chief said a station house officer SHO has the power to freeze the property of a drug smuggler under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances NDPS ActIn the last two years we have frozen property worth Rs 200 crore in 459 cases he saidYadav said directions have been issued to identify the point of sale of drugs in mohallas and villages The special task force and intelligence wing have prepared a list of 9000 streetlevel peddlers in the state and immediate action will be taken against them he saidThe police chief also said 750 drug hotspots have been identified in the stateTo further strengthen the police force Chief Minister Mann said 10000 police personnel will be recruited If we talk about the strength of police personnel it was 8000081000 in 2002 and today also the number is the same he saidOn action against gangsters he said strict action was being takenDrones from across the border are bringing pistols cash and narcotics the chief minister said and pointed out that gangsters smugglers and terrorists have come togetherMann said his government has provided new vehicles and the best technology to Punjab Police personnelPointing out that the state government has adopted a zerotolerance policy against corruption and drugs he said the state government would not spare any person involved in heinous crimes however affluent he might beThe state government cannot sit idle and watch people selling drugs and committing genocide of our future generations the chief minister saidPunjab is fighting the nations war against the drug menace he said and vowed that no stone would be left unturned to attain victoryHe further said police officers have also been asked to respect the people who visit police stations for their routine work and added that SSPs would be personally held accountable for undue harassment of the publicReplying to a question Mann lashed out at Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar saying he is desperate and frustrated over not getting a share of power and issuing baseless statements against the AAP government in the stateSuch leaders are bothered only about their own vested interests the chief minister said while targeting JakharThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever