LUDHIANA: A day after Khanna police brought in 130 addicts for a de-addiction programme, which was attended by Punjab director general of police Suresh Arora, a controversy erupted as some of the participants claimed that they had already given up drugs some six months back.As part of the drug rehabilitation programme started by Punjab Police, Khanna cops had brought these villagers from various places in the district to the function held at a private resort and got their pictures clicked with the DGP and other officers.Talking to TOI, a 33-year-old trader from a village in Payal said he became an addict 10 years ago after a friend provided him drugs free of cost for many months. He said but in view of high prices of heroin and devastation caused by drugs, he decided to give up drugs about six months back and visited a de-addiction centre. Since then, he claims he has not taken drugs.Asked why he then came to the event, the villager claimed that a local cop from his area had asked him to come to the function, saying that he would get a chance to get clicked pictures with the top police officers.“May be lower-level police officials had to show the numbers. If cops and the government officials are really concerned about drug abuse, they should put the big fish behind bars,” said the villager, who has a wife, daughter, and parents to look after.Another 26-year-old daily wager from Khanna claimed that he had quit drugs one-and-a-half years ago, but when the police asked him to come for the function, he could not refuse.A farmer in his mid 20s — who claimed to have quit drugs six months ago — said he started with heroin, but later shifted to injections. He said in a day, he would inject ‘chitta’ three times a day, but he decided to give up drugs the day when he felt as if he was in the lap of death.“It was an instant decision to quit drugs, because I knew decreasing the dose won’t help. I started a de-addiction course six months ago and took Addnok N twice a day. Now, as I don’t feel the need for drugs, the dose has come down to one tablet a day. The good thing is I am back to farming,” said the youth.Senior police officials, however, said persons with an addiction problem were selected after due check-up. “First, our SHOs visited the villages and prepared a list of persons facing the problem on the basis of information. We got those persons checked by health officials and prepared a list of 130 persons who needed various types of treatment (de-addiction),” said Khanna SSP Dhruv Dahiya. He refuted allegations that Khanna police had brought persons who had already undergone de-addiction to the function.Meanwhile, former Punjab DGP Shashi Kant, who has taken up the fight against drugs and also filed a petition in Punjab and Haryana high court on the issue, maintained that the practice of meddling with the figures was not unusual among the cops. “The pressure is mounting on cops. Hearing of the case is on July 25. Ahead of the hearing, cops are working out on figures. And police do this with the number of de-addicts and peddlers too,” he said.

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