CBI option : No solution at all
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: May 13, 2013 -

It is good to know that the State Cabinet has decided not just to hand over the case of seizure of drugs worth around Rs 3.64 crores from a team of Manipur Police Commandos at Pallel on April 28 last but also to introduce a Bill in the forthcoming budget session of the Assembly to pave way for enactment of a tougher legislation to deal with the problem of drug trafficking in the State.

It appears that the State Government is very serious this time about tackling the ever increasing menace of drugs in Manipuri society, where involvement of security personnel, both Army and State Police personnel, as well as the dear and near ones of elected representative in drug trafficking cases have come to light one after another.

It is said that the decision to rope in the service of CBI to investigate into the latest Pallel drug haul was taken by the State Cabinet during a meeting on May 10 taking into consideration of the constraints and hurdles likely to be faced by the police in framing charge-sheet against the involved Police Commandos for submitting the same in the court for necessary legal proceedings.

With regard to the proposal of enacting a strong Act to deal with the problem of drugs in Manipur, public have been made to believe that certain clauses would be incorporated into the proposed Act to empower the Government to forfeit the properties of drug traffickers and their immediate relatives so as to ensure that none of their descendant would ever think of getting into the business of drugs again.

On first reading, all these proposals may sound okay. But on the second or the third reading, one would not fail to realize how the State administration is actually trying to shy away from its responsibility.

Even though the State Government is today talking tough against the problem of drugs, the issue of drug trafficking in Manipur has always remained thriving.

But no one has ever dared to speak up or say anything against this illegal trade, of course, apart from some occasional public show of protest, which does not attract the attention of the State administration at all.

It is just that some Army Colonel and Police Commandos have been unlucky enough to be caught red-handed while trying to smuggle out huge consignments of drugs in quick succession that the State administration has been forced to sit up and start talking tough against the menace of drugs.

Let’s be frank, ahead of the two latest cases of drug haul at Pallel, State police have seized large quantities of drugs send through air cargo, post offices, courier service and trucks on numerous occasions.

But did the state administration show any real concern at that time? Not at all. All that it had stated was owners of the drugs seized or the traffickers could not be ascertained as the drug consignments were sent to people with fictitious names by people with fictitious names.

And now, after the masks from the faces of drug traffickers have been removed by some of its own police personnel, all that the State administration could think of is to hand over the case to CBI.

But has any of the cases handed over to the CBI by the State Government in the past ever solved? Not at all.

So, if the State Government is really serious about the burning issue of drug menace in Manipur today, then let it fine-tuned the investigative skill of its own police force, rather than looking at CBI as an option to buy time to cool down the public furore over every drug seizure case.