Moral erosion of the men in uniform : The latest Pallel drug seizure
- Sangai Express Editorial :: May 01, 2013 -
1 police personnel apprehended with 4680 strips of Respifed tablets from Pallel produced before Court of CJM Thoubal :: 29 April 2013
Pix - Gyanand Naorem
Definitely another good work done. Not only because it was the second biggest seizure after the high profile February 24, 2013 drug seizure at Pallel but because this time too it involved security personnel.
Policemen or police commandos in this case. However there are some slips between the lips and the cup.
As per the briefings or reports, which came after more than 12 hours of the seizure of the drugs, which were found inside two Gypsys, the police have been able to officially establish that 5880 strips of the tablets were Respifed containing Pseudoephedrine components.
Not bad but view this against the backdrop that the drug consignment included much more than just the 5880 strips of tablets, the components of which have been established and the reason for the scepticism should become clear.
There were 23 other plastic packets containing suspected pseudo-ephedrine tablets. Of these 23 packets, 10 packets were filled with 26,400 tablets each while another 12 packets were found filled with 18,000 tablets each. Another packet contained 21,000 tablets.
As of now, there is no official confirmation that the police have been able to establish whether the tablets contained in the 23 plastic packets contained pseudo ephedrine components or not.
Seeking an answer to this question is important, for reasons that should be obvious to all. Normally how long does it take to break down the chemical components of tablets and identify them ? Time is crucial.
More than 24 hours it has been since the drugs were seized. Or is it going to be a case of the tablets seized being sent to some laboratories outside the State to be tested to come to a conclusion ?
Logically then the question that can be raised is whether the worth of the drugs, which has been pegged at Rs 3,64,0200 in the international market, include the tablets which were found packed in 23 plastic packets, but the components of which have not been worked out as yet. Remember the official status of these tablets, as of now, is ‘suspected pseudo- ephedrine tablets.’
Apprehension. Even to the extent of being suspicious. Doctoring records. Engi- neering and manipulating documents. These cannot be outside the reach of Government agencies, especially when it comes to something like drugs and contraband items.
Better to be sceptical than be sorry later. And to keep the record straight this is not casting aspersions on the work done so far.
But a more clear explanation is called for. What the past two incidents, the latest drug seizure and the February 24 incident, have brought to the fore is one undeniable fact.
Misuse of official status, especially the sense of immunity that comes along with wearing the Olive Green and the Khakis. There maybe many factors for such a trend becoming institutionalised but what is unmistakable is the political culture that automatically seeps into the officialdom.
When policemen and even the Central security forces are expected to serve the interest of the political class, rather than the Nation or the interest of the land, then this is perhaps the perfect ground to breed corruption.
As long as service records, recognition of works done etc are seen through the prism of pleasing the political bosses, then moral decay within the institution which is there to uphold the law of the land is guaranteed. And this is what has been happening.
Not at all a happy situation.
In the good work done by Thoubal police in rounding up yet another group of drug smugglers, who all happened to be policemen, comes the tragic and sad story of a force which has lost its moral moorings.
* Comments posted by users in this discussion thread and other parts of this site are opinions of the individuals posting them (whose user ID is displayed alongside) and not the views of e-pao.net. We strongly recommend that users exercise responsibility, sensitivity and caution over language while writing your opinions which will be seen and read by other users. Please read a complete Guideline on using comments on this website.