Curb drug menace or face music, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah tells cops in state

Acknowledging that drug menace was rampant in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Wednesday, warned police officers of strict action if they failed to curb drug trafficking in their respective areas.

Siddaramaiah, who chaired a meeting of senior police officers and ministers to discuss ‘drugs menace and control’, in Bengaluru, said, “Drug trafficking and peddling cannot happen without the knowledge of the station house officer. So, we will fix the responsibility on the SHO, DySP, ACP and SP if the menace is not curbed immediately. We will amend the laws if need be.”

A new task force, headed by the home minister and comprising health, medical education, and education ministers, has been constituted to evolve strategies to curb drug trafficking and peddling.

The chief minister told reporters later that the government was planning to amend the laws or formulate a new law to punish peddlers and increase the severity of punishment to life imprisonment. “The drugs are trafficked into our state from Andhra, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh, and Bengaluru accounts for the highest number of cases reported in the state ( 50 per cent), and Mangaluru comes second and accounts for 22 per cent of all cases. In 2021, 7,751 Indians and 190 foreign nationals were arrested in drug-related cases. In 2022, the numbers were 7,737 and 123, and in 2023, as many as 8,016 Indians and 105 foreigners were booked. In 2024, 1,021 and 21 were arrested till March,” said Siddaramaiah, adding that the drug menace was impacting the lives of the youth.

In an effort to build peer support groups and enhance vigilance on educational campuses to curb drug abuse, the state government is hoping to expand and strengthen the NCC and NSS in schools and colleges, besides planning events to interact with parents, teachers and students for their suggestions.

The chief minister also highlighted the tendency of drug abusers to be involved in criminal activities.

“We have given the police a free hand to curb drug trafficking and every other criminal activity. There is no question of any political interference,” asserted the CM.