Drug business thriving with support of some cops: Punjab STF chief

Chandigarh, May 16 : The chief of the Special Task Force (STF) formed to combat the drug menace in Punjab on Tuesday put the role of certain mid-level cops under the scanner, saying the “illegal business of contrabands could not thrive without their connivance”. Taking serious note of STF chief Harpreet Singh Sidhu’s observations, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today ordered “shunting” of police officials suspected to be conniving with drug peddlers and smugglers to far-flung areas.
The decision came at a meeting that reviewed the progress of the STF in curbing the drug problem in the state, an official spokesman said.
The chief minister also asked the chief secretary to take up the matter with the DGP and issue orders of strict surveillance of officials posted with police stations in border districts, he said. It has been also directed that “errant” police personnel should be transferred without any delay, the spokesman said. This will help the state government to break the alleged “nexus” between BSF and police officials with drug smugglers, and check smuggling from across the border, he said. The chief minister lauded the efforts of the STF in controlling the drugs menace, but underlined the need for a more coordinated approach to tackle the problem.