No political pressure, at least during my time : DGP
TSE on the trail of major drug busts
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 20 2013: January 11, 2013 drugs worth Rs 1.5 crore seized at Tulihal airport.

February 16, drugs worth Rs1.3 crore seized from near the NRL oil pump at Mantripukhri.

February 24, 2013, drugs worth Rs 25 crore seized at Pallel and drugs worth Rs 10 crore seized from three Manipuri natives at Delhi on October 2, 2013 .

It was on this trail that the The Sangai Express had an exclusive and candid conversation with DGP MK Das at his office chamber this evening to take stock of the current position of the cases.

To a straight question on whether there is any political pressure on the police to go slow or to protect any of the accused in the drug seizure cases, the DGP remarked, "No political pressure....at least not during my time.

I can't say for the others before me nor for the others who will come after me" .

When The Sangai Express pointed out that even though the Pallel drug accused were in police custody for 15 days, no major break throughs have been achieved and questioned whether this reflects a failure on the part of the police, the DGP replied that the case happened before his tenure and candidly admitted that he has not personally gone through the case.

The drugs seized at Pallel and Tulihal and inset the DGP

The DGP however did not waver from admitting that not much progress has been made in all the investigations into the drug seizure cases.

"This is why the service of the CBI has been roped in," he said and explained that drug trafficking involves a whole set of activities from manufacturing, to packaging to smuggling and then selling it.

Since it involves so many separate aspects, it was deemed fitter to rope in the service of the CBI, whose writ runs across the country and is not confined to one State or a region.

As reported earlier in The Sangai Express a team of the CBI led by an officer of the rank of DIG is in town to investigate the drug seizure cases at Tulihal and Pallel.

Replying to a question on whether the State police is extending the needed co-operation to the CBI, the DGP answered in the affirmative and quoted the DIG of CBI as saying that the cases will be taken to its logical conclusions and the guilty nailed.

All needed information, including data based information have been provided to the CBI men, he added.

So far five FIRs relating to the two drug seizure cases have been handed over to the CBI he said and added that the FIR cases are 26 (2) 2013, Kakching police station u/s 21/29 of anti-NDPS Act, dated 24/2, 2013; 27 (2) 2013, Kakching police station u/s 21/29 of anti-NDPS Act, dated 24/2, 2013; 28 (2) 2013, Kakching police station u/s 21/29 of anti-NDPS Act, dated 24/2, 2013; 64 (4) 2013, Kakching police station u/s 21/29 of anti-NDPS Act, dated 24/2, 2013 and 27 Arms Act and 11/(1) 2013, Singjamei PS, 12/10/2013 .

Not ruling out the involvement of anyone, since all the cases involve huge money, the DGP said no one would be spared if found guilty.

On the seizure of drugs worth Rs 10 crore from three State natives of Manipur from Delhi on October 2 this year, the DGP said that initially Delhi police did not extend the needed co-operation and added that during the 15 days remand of the accused, the State team sent to Delhi were given only 90 minutes to interrogate them.

The State team is led by the SP of NAB and is accompanied by an Investigating Officer.

This is why the State Government has filed an appeal at an NDPS Court in Delhi to grant them the custody of the three accused so that they may be interrogated.

The team will cross check if they figure in any such cases here in Manipur, said the DGP.

The DGP further said that the road block put up along NH-2 on October in connection with the Police Raising Day was an ill conceived idea and added that the matter could have been dealt otherwise.

The traffic could have been stopped when the CM's cavalcade and other VVIP's cavalcade pass through and normal traffic could have been resumed.