Despite police crackdown, drug peddling continues in Tinsukia

TINSUKIA: Though Tinsukia police made significant strides in checking illicit drug trafficking, there appears to be no let-up in recovery of drugs with new and habitual offenders falling into the police dragnet in recent times.

Parag Buragohain, officer-in-charge of Tinsukia Sadar police station, who is spearheading the anti-drug operations, cited two main reasons- primarily the witnesses are not supportive during court trials, often refrain from appearing in the court even as the convicts are properly charge sheeted and secondly, flexibility in the quantum of punishment subject to quantity of recovery. Buragohain opined that public support through mass awareness campaigns in and around the place of occurrence and fearless disclosure by the witnesses can significantly assist in trial, adding that giving repeated chances to habitual offenders in drug cases to join the mainstream is dangerous for society. With three cases of repeated offenders in Tinsukia, the peddlers indulged in similar activities.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court recently made it clear that bail cannot be granted to habitual offenders indulging in drug trafficking even in another case of a similar nature and the fact should be kept in mind while considering their bail pleas. Justice Harsimran Singh Sethi asserted that bail could be granted in drug cases only when the court was of the opinion that the petitioner-accused would not indulge in the same activities again if released on bail.

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