Justice Sayeed: Dedicated police team needed to tackle drug menace effectively
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Nagpur: Justice MA Sayeed, former member of the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission, has urged the creation of separate police teams for protocol duties and crime investigation to improve the efficiency of anti-narcotics operations.
Addressing the city police's Anti-Drug Day programme under Operation Thunder, Justice Sayeed said that the present structure overstretches the force, hampering focused investigation. "The Malimath Commission has already suggested this segregation. The city commissioner must formally move the home ministry," he said.
Justice Sayeed stressed the importance of creating dedicated investigation units trained specifically for narcotics-related offences under the NDPS Act.
"You need a strong, informed team to tackle the drug menace effectively. This is not just about arrests, it's about long-term disruption of the supply chain," he said.
Highlighting the crucial role of NGOs, legal services authorities, and schools in sensitizing both youth and families, he said, "We always speak of rights, but the conversation must start with ethics, duties and discipline. If we want to create good citizens, we must guide the youth before they stray," he said, recalling how during his stint in Nagpur in 2001, he once saw school students casually smoking at a pan shop.
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He chose to confront and counsel them.
Praising the police force, Sayeed said that it is easy to label police as corrupt, but he has seen first-hand the kind of hard work Maharashtra police puts in. "Public, police, and judiciary must work together, not in isolation. Mutual respect and trust are essential,"
Former Nagpur commissioner of police (CP) and retired DGP Bhushan Kumar Upadhyay backed Operation Thunder's approach, calling it a "corrective shift" in drug law enforcement.
"The real problem lies with the peddlers, not the users. Drug addicts are victims, they need help. The ones filling their pockets by ruining lives are the ones who should be behind bars," he said.
Upadhyay, who served in Nagpur for over a decade, stressed the need for consistency in such operations. "Peddler networks regenerate if not continuously crushed. Long-term intelligence, regular enforcement and coordination with agencies are key."
CP Ravinder Singal briefed the audience on the impact of Operation Thunder. Over 1,000 suspects have been apprehended, and the SIMBA app has been central in tracking offender data. "From tip-offs to late-night raids, we've covered every angle. One mother told us how her teenage son got hooked to drugs and slowly slipped into burglary. The downward spiral begins silently — early awareness is our best weapon," he said.
Inspector general Dilip Bhujbal emphasised multi-agency collaboration and noted the operation's reach across educational and public zones. MLA Ashish Deshmukh too praised the initiative and recalled past de-addiction efforts in Khaparkheda that revealed how drug dependency often fuels petty crimes.
Acting vice-chancellor of the Nagpur University, Madhavi Khode-Chaware, was also present at the occasion.
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