Published Sep 06, 2023 | 2:46 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 06, 2023 | 2:46 AM
IGP Sukhchain Singh Gill addressing the media. (Supplied)
In a bid to curtail rampant drug overdose deaths in Punjab, the state police have announced that it will charge drug suppliers with culpable homicide in case their “client” dies of an overdose.
The declaration was made by Inspector General of Police (HQ) Sukhchain Singh Gill, who said that suppliers will now be accountable for not just peddling, but also deaths caused due to drugs.
According to Gill, the state shall put every death of an addict under the scanner, and trace their supplier and book them under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code.
“The dealers know what they are giving and that the quantity can kill. In every case of overdose death, we will investigate the role of the suppliers and in case it is established on a preliminary basis, then the supplier will be booked and we will ensure he is punished,” said Gill, while addressing the media on 4 September.
Elaborating on the ongoing crackdown against the drug menace in the state, Gill informed that police have seized contraband worth ₹30 crore belonging to suppliers, under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
The police is working on increasing the conviction rate and, so, all cops have been asked to not just be thorough with investigations but also file proper charge sheets.
“The police will also take action against its personnel if big drug smugglers manage to get bail because of their failure to file a charge sheet in time. We have already started fixing responsibilities and police officers, including deputy superintendents of police, and station house officers have been served notices in connection with such lapses,” added Gill.
Acting on Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s drug eradication pledge, the Punjab police have enforced a three-pronged strategy of enforcement, public contact, and demand reduction. Commissioners and senior superintendents of police have been asked to launch all-out operations against street peddlers and suppliers in mohallas and villages.
As part of this strategy, addicts caught with a few grams of heroin or narcotic powder will be treated as victims and will be given a chance to rehabilitate. They will also be shielded from prosecution. A special focus is being given to pharmaceutical drugs.
“There will be district specific or police station specific plans against drugs under which police teams will hold meetings in all villages and mohallas to sensitise people about the ill-effects of the drugs,” Gill added further.
Police have seized 1,400 kg of heroin from across the state in the last 14 months and, in addition, 147.5 kg of heroin was recovered by the Punjab police from the seaports of Gujarat and Maharashtra, he said.
The police have also recovered 871.82 kg of opium, 446.30 quintals of poppy husk, and 90.59 lakh tablets, capsules, injections, and vials of pharma opioids from across the state.
