THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj Feb 5: It’s never a no action time for police in the Palamu zone comprising three districts Latehar, Palamu and Garhwa. It remains busy even when the Naxals are down but not out.
Poppy cultivation is like a narco extremism. Its cultivation has the overt and covert support of the Naxals.
These days police in Palamu and Latehar districts are destroying poppy cultivation in its vegetative state. Garhwa district is a lone exception in regard to poppy cultivation. There is no issue of poppy cultivation in Garhwa, said its SP Deepak Kumar Pandey.
The Jharkhand Story correspondent today spoke to the IG of the police of Palamu zone Sunil Bhaskar. Here are the excerpts from the interview.
Q: Jharkhand DGP has called for an all-out offensive against the poppy cultivation and people behind it. How is the result?
IG: Our DGP has asked us to go all out against the poppy cultivation. We are executing it on the ground. It’s being destroyed and devastated by the police in its vegetative state. Minus Garhwa district where there is no issue of poppy cultivation, our police have destroyed little over 171 acres of its cultivation alone in the Palamu district and 17 acres in the Latehar district.
Q: This cash crop is grown either on the forest land or on the gair majrua land. Poppy coming up on the raiyyati land is very very rare as the grower knows the consequences of it.
IG: True, poppy cultivation is done on the forest land and the gair majrua land. Both landscapes are on the radar. Police have begun to send notices to the stakeholders like Mukhiya where the landscape is of the gair majrua land or to the ranger where this poppy cultivation is being done on the forest land. It’s notice at the first instance. It’s to ask them as to how such an illegal and unlawful cultivation has come up. They are to answer it. Police will be tougher in the event of the cultivation coming there again after the stakeholders send in their replies to the notices of the police.
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Q: There is a well-knit network. There is a nexus. How to break it?
IG: The DGP’s instructions are very clear. First, it is to destroy and mutilate the cultivation. Second to break the network/ nexus. It’s a real task and we will do it. We have begun to identify the people behind it. Some faces never come up. These are the ones who pull the strings from any place like Rajasthan. They are the sponsors. We are determined to expose them and bring them to law.
Q: It’s not only heads (read human resources) that matter. Lots of finance is involved in it.
IG: Yes, there is a big financial investment in it. It starts with the purchase of the seeds. From where it comes. Who foots the bill?
Q: Will it be in fitness of thing to find out whose bank account swells in the contiguity of this poppy cultivation as money comes not only by hand but digitally too?
IG: It’s a good point. It will be looked into.
Q: Destruction of poppy cultivation in acreages is tremendous but in that ratio arrests of the offenders are pretty less?
IG: We have identified the people behind the cultivation. They can’t get away. Our police will smoke them out. There are arrests too. Deterrent actions are on the anvil. DGP has asked for ‘Sakht Karwai’ (strick action) against the poppy cultivation. We are on it.
