Srinagar: In a major concern, the drug abuse is on the rise in Kashmir with more than 5000 drug addicts visiting GMC Srinagar’s Drug De-Addiction Centre annually.

As per the official figures accessed by news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS), around 5000 drug addicts visit the OPD at Drug De-Addiction Centre annually.

The figures reveal there is a sharp increase in the number of patients over the years. Five years ago, less than 500 drug addict patients would visit the hospital annually.

A doctor at SMHS Hospital said that a lot of patients who are being treated at its Drug-De-Addiction Centre had consumed drugs available on drug centres.

In an effort to curb drug abuse, the government has banned opening of new drug stores and directed the officials for regulation of existing ones in Kashmir.

The directions have been issued in view of increasing drug abuse in Kashmir. Although there is rising use of heroin and opium, drugs available in drug stores are also being misused.
An official at the office of Drug and Food Control Organisation said there are complaints that several drugs available in drug stores are being misused in the Valley.

“There are some drugs which can’t be given without the doctors’ prescription letter. But still some drug stores are selling these drugs,” the official said.

The official said that authorities have directed concerned officials to regulate the working of drug stores. “There are some drug addicts who don’t consume heroin and opium but take drugs from drug stores and are equally dangerous,” the official said.

Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) has warned society of alarming rise in drug and alcohol abuse especially among youth appealing parents, social organisations, teachers and religious leaders to rise against the menace.

President DAK, Dr Suhail Naik said over the years Kashmir has witnessed a considerable rise in drug abuse cases as youth are taking drugs due to its easy availability, accessibility and affordability due to its huge local production.
“We as society, parents, social organisations, teachers and religious clerks should rise against the same and help in educating youth about the ill effects of drug addiction,” he said.

The DAK President said J&K has witnessed a steep rise in substance abuse cases over the past two decades saying that the drugs go to places where there is even no public transport.
Dr Naik said that both alcohol and drugs are deleterious for both mental and physical health and become long term social evil.

“When people lose their mental balance, they don’t differentiate between right and wrong. There is a huge loss to family monetarily and socially,” he said.

Both drugs and alcohol makes a person liable to several kinds of infections and diseases like HIV hepatitis B and C through syringes in IV drug abusers.

“Diseases like fatty liver, cirrhosis, cardiac ailments, encephalopathy, accidents, blood borne ugly infections are very common among alcohol users,” he said.

The DAK President said that a lot of road accidents happen due to alcohol or drug abuse by drivers seeking concrete measures and a multipronged strategy for the remedial measures.
The doctors body president said that traffic police and other departments deputed on roads and highways should be equipped with instruments to check alcohol abuse by driver’s.

The DAK president said that people who are involved in the trade of drugs make huge money out of it and they have destroyed almost one generation of youth.

He said that the disastrous consequences of drug consumption proves in latter stages of life especially when an individual develops family which is dependent on him, economically, emotionally and socially. (KINS)

PTI

Bhadarwah: Five people, including a woman and her three minor children, were killed when their car skidded off the road and rolled down into a 350-feet deep gorge in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district on Friday, officials said.

The car was on its way from Gool area of Ramban district to Thathri town of Doda district. The accident took place near Raggi Nallah around 10 am, they added.

“Police party from nearby Assar police station immediately rushed to the spot and started rescue operation along with volunteers, but all the five passengers, including the driver, were declared dead on the spot,” Mushtaq Ahmed, Station House Officer (SHO) Assar, said.

“The deceased have been identified as Tasleema Begum, 35, and her three minor children from Thathri, while the fifth person, who was driving the car and also died in the accident, was identified as Mohd Asif, 32, of Sangaldan-Gool,” he said.

All the bodies will be shifted to the Primary Health Centre Assar for completion of legal formalities, the SHO added.

Basant Rath has told the police he’s not asking them to file an FIR, but to note that if something happens to him, it’s on DGP Dilbag Singh.

Srinagar: IPS officer Basant Kumar Rath filed a written complaint against Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbag Singh, stating that the top cop poses a threat to his safety and reputation.

Rath, a 2000 batch IPS officer, wrote to the station house officer of Jammu’s Gandhi Nagar Police Station, stating that while he was not asking authorities to file an FIR, they should make a note of his complaint in case something untoward happens to him.

Under the subject section of the complaint, Rath wrote: “Requesting you to take note of my apprehension about my life, liberty and bald head the reason being certain activities of of Sh Dilbag Singh, IPS batch 1987 batch, presently DGP.

“I’m writing you to take note of my genuine apprehensions about my safety and reputation. I’m doing it as a private citizen of this country. In my personal capacity, not as a civil servant, not as a police man,” Rath wrote.

“I’m not asking you to lodge an FIR against the person mentioned above. I’m just asking you to make this letter a part of the Daily Diary in your police station. Today. Now. In case something bad happens to me, you should know whose number you should dial. With due respect,” he further stated.

ThePrint reached Rath for a comment through phone calls, but there was no response, while DGP Dilbag Singh too did not respond to calls or messages seeking a comment on the allegation.

Twitter spat

The spat between Rath and Singh, a 1987-batch IPS officer, was triggered by a tweet by the junior officer on 12 June. A Twitter user, named Dilbag Singh, had posted an article run by a local daily about Rath’s initiative of providing free books to students preparing for competitive exams.

“Hi Dilbag Singh. Can I call you Dilloo? Are you the one who owns 50 canals of land in Sarore near the dental college? Is it registered on your name?” Rath tweeted, in a dig at allegations levelled against the J&K DGP by a local daily last year.

https://twitter.com/KangriCarrier/status/1271331598286196737

But the story did not end there. In several other cryptic tweets, Rath seemed to have been taking aim at his senior.

https://twitter.com/KangriCarrier/status/1272195465904222214

https://twitter.com/KangriCarrier/status/1273420362278031361

https://twitter.com/KangriCarrier/status/1273050877838819329

https://twitter.com/KangriCarrier/status/1273052457174589440

Sources in the J&K Police told ThePrint that Rath wanted to draw a reaction from Singh.

“I am not sure what reaction did he expect, but it was certainly not what he got. The DGP shared screenshots of some of Mr Rath’s tweets in a WhatsApp group run by a journalist. What followed was sort of a WhatsApp trial, with almost all of those commenting in response to the screenshot, calling for Mr Rath’s suspension or arrest,” said a senior police officer, requesting anonymity.

WhatsApp group

DGP Singh apparently reacted to Rath’s provocation on a WhatsApp group called ‘Kashmir Firstpost’, according to screenshots sent to ThePrint by one of the group members.

“Shame on this IPS officer who has risen to become IG and is dumped without any work again because every-time he is given responsibility he proves to be a joker and useless. I challenge prove an inc of land or proper or any business worth a penny in my name,” Singh purportedly wrote.

Rath was also apparently shown the screenshots, because he took to Twitter and posted one of them which called for a flood of complaints against him. Rath also referred to the person who had sent the original message as “FirstPost Whatsapp Group Stenographer”.

https://twitter.com/KangriCarrier/status/1275926870496735232

In another tweet, Rath mocked someone who sent another message on the WhatsApp group, calling for his arrest.

https://twitter.com/KangriCarrier/status/1275931989204336642

Not new to controversy

This is not the first controversy Rath has been embroiled in. His November 2018 transfer from the inspector general of traffic in Kashmir to the office of commandant general, Home Guards in Jammu, came days after a verbal spat between him and former Srinagar mayor and People’s Conference leader Junaid Mattu. But the change of posting did not silence Rath’s Twitter feed.

Born in Odisha and educated at the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, Rath first came to prominence for his efforts in Jammu against the notorious drug and land mafia. He was also noted for his role in investigating the 2009 high-profile murder of Amandeep Singh, son of former National Conference legislator Deepinder Kour, allegedly by one Jatinder Singh, who was the son of influential Jammu businessman Nagar Singh.

The case witnessed many twists and turns, with Jatinder Singh allegedly committing suicide in jail, and the arrests of policemen including the SSP Jammu, the SHO of Gandhi Nagar police station, and forensics experts accused of manipulating evidence. The arrests were led by Rath.

Then, Rath returned to the spotlight during his stint as Kashmir’s IG traffic, gaining popularity among Srinagar residents for moving around the streets without security guards.

“Of course, a lot of his goodwill came through his work. He streamlined the chaotic traffic in Srinagar and once that was done, he went to the people, to small events, to markets attending local cricket and football matches,” said a police officer.

“An IPS officer clicking selfies and videos with locals and that too without a barrage of security guards was received well in Kashmir, where the uniform represents something harsh,” the officer said, adding that the initiative to deliver free books to students has also earned him a lot of goodwill.

With inputs from ThePrint

PTI

Militants attack CRPF party in Bijbehara area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district; 1 CRPF personnel injured: Police

The creation of a new post and infrastructure in Galwan Valley is believed to have cut off the traditional access to Patrol Point-14 on LAC, making the strategic ‘Y Nalla’ — near the Shyok-Galwan axis — the new frontier for Indian and Chinese troops.

The quickly rebuilt Chinese infrastructure, which includes hardened shelters for troops and defensive positions at the Y-junction where Galwan River takes a sharp bend towards its meeting point with Shyok River, means the last 1 km trek to PP-14, an area patrolled by Indian troops for decades, may no longer be viable.

With inputs from The Economic Times

PTI

Srinagar: A militant was on Friday killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Chewa Ular area of Tral in south Kashmir district on Thursday, following information about the presence of militants, a police official said.

He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the militants opened fire at a search party of the forces, who retaliated.

The cordon was maintained throughout the night and in the early hours of Friday, one militant was killed, the official said.

The identity and group affiliation of the slain militant is being ascertained, he said, adding that the operation is going on.

PTI

Srinagar: Pakistani troops on Thursday violated ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Macchil sector of Jammu and Kashmir by firing mortar shells towards Indian positions, Army officials said here.

They said the Indian Army gave a befitting response to the ceasefire violation.

No casualties were reported in the incident.

“On 25 June 2020, Pakistan initiated an unprovoked ceasefire violation (CFV) along the LoC in Macchil sector by firing mortars,” the officials said.

There has been a sharp increase in ceasefire violations along the Line of Control over the past two weeks.

Security officials maintain that Pakistan is resorting to ceasefire violations to provide cover for infiltration of militants into the valley.

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference President and member Parliament Dr Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said the burgeoning menace of drug addiction in J&K is dangerous and that the fight against drug abuse should not be relinquished due to the prevailing COVID-19 crises.

On International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking party president Dr Farooq Abdullah in his message said that substance abuse and drug addiction has emerged as one of the biggest threats to our future generation.

“Unfortunately Jammu and Kashmir continues to grapple with the menace of drug and substance abuse. Reports about the prevalence of drug abuse among youngsters particularly the school going children in Kashmir is alarming. If something substantial is not done to tackle it, then I am afraid we are going to lose a whole new generation to this menace,” Dr Farooq said.

He further added, “It’s time for all of us to collectively start a war at each level against the menace and save our young from the scourge. Apart from an effective and coordinated government response against drug peddlers and their protectors, civil society too has an important part to play in this fight. Our religious heads, local leaders together need to address the issue at their individual levels and help those who want to raise their voice against the menace.”

Meanwhile party spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar while expressing concern over inaction of the government towards curbing the menace said, “Government is not doing enough to stop the illicit sale and purchase of drugs in Jammu and Kashmir, and society on its part has failed in its collective response, which is destroying our current generation by impeding their growth and development. The moth of drug addiction is devouring our youth, their dreams. J&K is falling into the grip of Drug abuse, perhaps it is a second biggest epidemic after COVID-19 in store for us,” he said.

It is astonishing how widespread the problem is in villages and cities across J&k, he said adding, “We see adolescents huddle together in certain areas smoking, snorting, and shooting up. It is ridiculously available and the administration is acting as a mute spectator. Failing to act against the drug mafia and identifying the spots where these addicts huddle up; administration has also miserably failed to come up with more de-addiction centers, counseling centers to help control such delinquency. Absence of proper psychiatric and medical treatment is also compounding the menace. Administration on its part has failed to grapple with the issue primarily because of the absence of any policy framework and required budgetary support. By no means should COVID-19 impede our fight against the menace of drug abuse. It is a continuous fight, and there is no scope for slackness for the consequences of it will be hard to contain.”

Imran said that the need of hour calls for a flagship programme to curb the menace by preventing the sale and purchase of illicit and other harmful drugs, identifying addicts and putting them on the path of recovery. He necessitated for augmenting the intake capacity of drug de-addiction centers. “Such centers should come up in all districts. Good policing is also needed to block the spaces where such illicit activity takes place,” he said.

Above all the role of religious preachers, schools, colleges and other civil society groups is enormous, he said while soliciting unified response towards the burgeoning menace. “Mohalla committees, parents, academic institutions and religious preachers also have to contribute their bit to nip the evil in the bud before it morphs itself into a calamitous situation,” he said. (GNS)

PTI

Srinagar: Three active hideouts of militants were busted by security forces in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, the Army said.

Bases on intelligence inputs, security forces launched a search operation in the Yarwan area of Shopian in the morning, an Army official said.

He said during the operation, three active hideouts — one major and two minor — were busted.

A huge cache of “administrative stores including a personal diary” were recovered from the hideouts, the official said.

In what is seen as another intrusion, the Chinese army has crossed the border at the Depsang plains to the north. The PLA has moved up to a place called Y-junction or Bottleneck on the Depsang plains, which is around 18 km on the Indian side of the LAC.

Meanwhile in other news, Indian and Chinese diplomats agreed Wednesday to “sincerely implement the understanding on disengagement and de-escalation” along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. At the two-and-half hour meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC), diplomats agreed to maintain communication both at diplomatic and military levels to “resolve the existing situation peacefully”, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The Chinese have previously entered Indian territory at Depsang, senior Congress leader and former defence minister A K Antony told The Indian Express. “A serious incursion took place during the UPA period in Depsang in 2013… It took 21 days in 2013… they had come in large numbers… put tents and everything… there was face to face scuffle… but after 21 days… after military and diplomatic-level discussions they went back. Status quo ante was restored,” he said in an interview.

India says China amassed troops along border in violation of agreements

“At the heart of the matter is that since early May the Chinese side had been amassing a large contingent of troops and armaments along the LAC,” MEA spokesman Anurag Srivastava said.

With inputs from The Indian Express