Chitta Menace Assumes Alarming Proportions in Joginder Nagar, Mandi District, Police Under Fire
Joginder Nagar, August 22, 2024:The killer-menace of Chitta (heroin) and a surge in thefts in Joginder Nagar and in the mandi district have triggered the ire of local residents.
The recent deaths of three youth in Mandi due to Chitta and other drugs have raised serious concern. The killer-menace goes unchallenged as the victim families are not coming forward to inform the police as they fear social stigma.
There are sections of people who put the blame on the "migrants" mainly from the particular community who are targeting youth to hook them to the killer- drugs making most from the bargain.
However Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], squarely blamed the local administration and the state government for their failure to curb the twin menace in Joginder Nagar.
In a meeting held today by the CPI(M) Chautra Committee, which included district secretary Kushal Bhardwaj, Joginder Nagar Local Committee Secretary Ravinder Kumar, Sudarshan Walia, Pratap Chand, Puran Chand, Krishna Chand, Seema Devi, Krishna Devi, Bhagat Ram, Neelam Verma, and others, the party took a stern view of the growing crime wave.
The CPI(M) demanded immediate and decisive administrative action to address the situation.
The local committee also announced its full support for the convention and protest being organized by the Kisan Sabha on Saturday, August 24, in Chautra against the rising thefts and the tightening grip of Chitta on the region.
District Secretary and Zila Parishad member Kushal Bhardwaj criticized the lax police system and alleged political patronage for the rise in these incidents.
He pointed out that most thefts are directly linked to Chitta and other drugs.
Many addicts fearlessly committing these crimes as they are under huge mental pressure to buy the Chitta to keep them going.
Bhardwaj urged the police to launch a massive crackdown on thieves and arrest those involved in thefts and supply of Chitta without succumbing to political pressure.
He claimed that there are people who are spreading baseless rumors and inciting hatred against specific communities and migrant workers under the guise of these thefts.
Bhardwaj said efforts should be made to curb this menace pulling local youths out of the grip of drugs, pointing out that while some spread hatred on social media, they fail to control the spoiled brats in their own homes, leading to more crimes.
He urged residents not to pay attention to rumors and to stay at home rather than patrolling the streets with sticks, as staying home is more effective in preventing thefts.
Bhardwaj warned that some people are inciting youths against passersby, leading to attacks on innocent people in some areas.
If any innocent person loses their life in such attacks, the instigators will vanish, but the youth will end up in police custody, he said.
He however stressed that the fight against Chitta is crucial to curbing thefts. If action is not taken against Chitta in time, many households could lose their loved ones to this deadly drug.
Bhardwaj appealed to the public to gather at Sukabag Mela Ground on the morning of August 24 to raise their voices in unison against thefts and the Chitta menace and to submit a memorandum to the government and police administration.
