Says smugglers will be driven out by people themselves; leads padyatra in Shopian
Younus Rashid
Shopian, May 23: Declaring an all-out war against narco-terrorism, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday said drug smugglers and their handlers would be “driven out by the people themselves”, asserting that there would be “no safe place left for drugs and drug traffickers in Jammu and Kashmir”.
The Lieutenant Governor was addressing a gathering in Shopian in connection with the ongoing ‘Nasha Mukt Jammu and Kashmir’ campaign, where he later led a padyatra despite inclement weather.
Calling narco-terrorism a “deliberate and calculated attack” on the identity and future of Jammu and Kashmir, LG Sinha said the drug trade was not an ordinary crime but a larger conspiracy that was destroying youth and funding terrorism.
“We will work with full dedication to uproot narco-terrorism from its roots and destroy its entire ecosystem. We will not rest until drug smugglers and their handlers are driven out by the people themselves,” he said.
Sinha said money generated through drugs was being used to purchase weapons by terror groups while innocent Kashmiris continued to suffer. “The poison of drugs is diverting our youth away from progress. Terror groups are buying weapons with money earned from drugs, and those very weapons have been used to shed the blood of innocent Kashmiris,” he said.
The LG said the anti-drug campaign, launched on April 11 from Jammu, had now turned into a mass movement across Jammu and Kashmir. “Every family and every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir is now connected to this mission. From every lane, a collective voice is rising that not a single drug smuggler should escape,” he added.
The Lieutenant Governor said people had now realised that the menace was not someone else’s problem but a direct threat to every household. “This is a challenge knocking at our own doors and one that we must confront together with determination,” he said.
Referring to the role of women in the campaign, the LG said over 7,000 women’s committees had already been formed across Jammu and Kashmir to monitor drug-related activities and help make villages and towns drug-free. “The stronger we make these women’s committees, the more successful this movement will become,” he added.
LG Sinha also issued a stern warning to anyone supporting drug networks. “Whoever is found linked with drug networks — whether in administration, politics or public life — will be completely exposed and dealt with strictly. Anyone defending them will also face legal action,” he said.
He assured people that innocent persons would not be harassed during the campaign. “If any innocent person faces wrongful action, report it directly to us. Those responsible for wrongful action will also be punished,” he said.
At the same time, the LG defended the ongoing crackdown against smugglers and peddlers. “I have always said that criminals will face strict punishment, but innocent people will never be oppressed. Where there are criminals, there will be no mercy; where there are innocents, there will be no injustice,” he added.
The Lieutenant Governor said rehabilitation of drug victims remained a major focus of the administration, and efforts were underway to identify youth undergoing treatment in rehabilitation centres so they could be reintegrated into society and provided livelihood opportunities. “A young person trapped in addiction is the responsibility of both the administration and society. They will be rehabilitated with full sensitivity and compassion,” he said.
Urging people to intensify awareness efforts, LG Sinha appealed to schools, colleges, religious leaders, social organisations and political workers to take the campaign to every household. “We must unite against the cruelty of narco-terrorism. Whatever strict action is necessary to save our youth, we will take it,” he said.
Later, the Lieutenant Governor led a padyatra in Shopian as part of the anti-drug campaign and thanked people for participating in large numbers despite bad weather.