Ranchi: For the first time in Jharkhand, action is being taken on a war footing against the opium crop. After the strict instructions of Jharkhand DGP Anurag Gupta, the entire police department is involved in a crackdown on the opium fields.
In the Khunti district alone, 44 acres of opium were destroyed within five days. Jharkhand DGP Anurag Gupta has also made it very clear that strict action will be taken against those policemen who are helping the opium smugglers.
Apart from Jharkhand's capital Ranchi, Khunti, Hazaribagh, Latehar, Palamu and Chatra used to be very fertile districts for the opium mafia. With the help of the villagers, the opium mafia used to grow opium crops in the highly Naxal-affected areas. This year too, opium has been cultivated on a large scale in Jharkhand.
After the instructions of DGP Anurag Gupta, the police entered the forests with a JCB and tractors. Wherever the opium crop is seen, it is being destroyed. The police have become so vigilant that wherever they come to know that opium seeds have been sown, they are destroying them by driving tractors in that field. Due to this continuous action of the police, the opium mafia has suffered a loss of crores so far.
Police officers are also being monitored
Jharkhand DGP Anurag Gupta has adopted a no-tolerance policy against drug smugglers. The DGP said that he had given clear instructions to the IG of the Special Branch to find out the police officers who were in collusion with the opium mafia. The DGP said in very strong words that he would not spare any police officer who is in collusion with opium smugglers.
Because of this, the police down the line have initiated action against the opium mafia, who are suffering huge losses because of the crackdown. Police teams have landed in the forests and ravines with tractors and JCBs amid tight security and about three to four acres of opium crop are being destroyed every day.
Campaign in Khunti district
Khunti district of Jharkhand is quite infamous for its opium crop. But it seems that this time this district will be at the top in terms of opium destruction. Khunti police launched a campaign against opium on 16 December. This campaign will not stop now because the police still have information about many acres of opium crops yet to be destroyed. Khunti SP Aman Kumar said that the campaign is being run wherever opium cultivation has been reported in Khunti. Not a single opium-growing field will be left at any cost.
Opium mafia in trouble in Palamu and Latehar
In Jharkhand's Palamu too, a strong action is being taken against opium smugglers. The situation is such that in this district too opium smugglers have suffered losses worth crores. Palamu Police Captain Rishma Rameshan said that even today in Palamu, opium crops grown by drug smugglers are being destroyed.
In Latehar district too, strong action is being taken against the opium mafia. Latehar SP Kumar Gaurav said that action against opium smugglers is continuing. People who grow opium are also being searched and action will be taken against them too.
25 acres of crops destroyed in Hazaribagh
Hazaribagh police took a big action on 16 December. The police team destroyed 25 acres of opium crops planted by opium smugglers around Chauparan. Action is being taken against opium cultivation in the state capital Ranchi as well. On December 15, an illegal poppy (opium) crop spread over about 1 acre 70 decimals in the forests of village Husirahatu in Tamar and Dashmphaul police station area was destroyed.
In the last 10 days of the campaign by the police, more than 100 acres of opium have been destroyed in Jharkhand. As per the CID data, opium was destroyed in 2545 acres of land in 2023, 2926 acres in 2022, 3034 acres in 2021, 2634.7 acres in 2020 and 2015.4 acres in 2019.
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