Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Directs Police To Take Strong Steps To Curb Drug trade

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday directed police officials to take strong measures to check drug smuggling in the state and ensure strict monitoring on inter-state borders to prevent entry of narcotics substances from outside.

Addressing a conference of Inspectors General of Police (IGPs) and district Superintendents of Police (SPs) here at New Circuit House, Mr Baghel asked them to identify "communal and chaotic" elements which try to blow small incidents out of proportion in a bid to disturb the law and order situation and malign the image of the government, an official statement said.

"Police officials should take stern action to prevent (contraband) drugs trade in the state. They should ensure that narcotics should not enter Chhattisgarh from other states. Even a single leaf of ganja (cannabis) should not be allowed to enter Chhattisgarh from other states," the release quoted the CM as saying in the meeting.

Police should ensure that ''hookah'' bars are completely banned in the state, he added.

Mr Baghel directed the IGs and SPs to hold a meeting with their counterparts in neighbouring Odisha and Madhya Pradesh for effective prevention of drugs smuggling.

The CM had issued a similar directive for holding a joint meeting recently after an SUV, allegedly transporting ganja from Odisha to Madhya Pradesh, ploughed into a religious procession in Jashpur district of Chhattisgarh, killing one person and injuring 17 others.

The chief minister told SPs to constitute a special social media monitoring team in their respective district to identify those spreading rumours on social media platforms and take necessary action.

"Police officials should develop an intelligence mechanism and identify those communal and chaotic elements which try to give a big shape to small incidents because such incidents have a direct impact on peace and public order in the state and image of the government," he said.

At every level-police station, sub-division, district and range level, police should develop an intelligence system, the CM added.

"Opportunistic elements spread rumours, misinformation and misleading news to take political advantage of small incidents. Therefore, it is necessary to identify them and take action," Baghel said, underlining the need for developing a strong intelligence system to monitor social media.

Chairing a conference of district collectors on Thursday, Baghel had said along with continuous monitoring of the law and order situation, it was necessary for the administration to strongly refute rumours and false propaganda being spread on social media and asserted that communal harmony is the identity of Chhattisgarh and nobody will be allowed to disturb it.

The CM was apparently referring to an incident of violence in Kawardha town of the state early this month. BJP MP Santosh Pandey and former Parliamentarian Abhishek Singh were among some party leaders who were named in an FIR lodged in connection with the violence.

In the meeting of IGPs and SPs, police officials informed that there has been a 32 per cent decline in murder cases and 37 per cent reduction in attempt to murder cases in the state now as compared to 2011, the release said.

Officials said so far, 774 directors and office-bearers of chit fund companies, which duped people, have been arrested in the state.

The CM directed SPs and IGPs to immediately arrest the missing directors and office-bearers of dubious chit fund companies and attach properties of such firms in a time-bound manner, it said.

Baghel took stock of the initiatives taken by police for security of women, who he said, should have full faith in the administration.

The CM directed officials to expedite the process of withdrawing cases lodged against tribals in Naxal-hit areas so that innocent people get early relief.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)