Chandigarh, March 2 (IANS) Punjab Police, in coordination with local authorities, have demolished unauthorised structures built on the encroached panchayat land in Khanpur and Mandi villages of Phillaur.
The structures, unlawfully occupied by two individuals with a history of narcotics smuggling, were removed following due legal procedure, the police said in a statement on Sunday.
Senior Superintendent of Police (Jalandhar Rural) Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh said the demolition drive was carried out following the request of the Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO) of Phillaur, who sought police assistance for the removal of illegal encroachments. The action was directed against Jasvir Singh, alias Sheera, and Bholi, wife of Rampal alias Rama, both had illegally occupied the panchayat land.
As per official records, Bholi is a notorious drug smuggler and has been facing multiple cases under the NDPS Act, including a 1.190 kg smack recovery in 2005, a two kg poppy husk seizure in 2015, and a significant quantity of drugs recovered in 2022.
Similarly, Jasvir Singh has also been named in multiple cases, including one involving a commercial quantity of charas and intoxicated injections.
The SSP said the police, along with revenue and panchayat officials, ensured that the encroachments were demolished smoothly, with adequate deployment to prevent any disruption.
Authorities confirmed that the land rightfully belongs to the gram panchayat and had been unlawfully occupied by the accused.
The SSP reiterated that Jalandhar Rural Police will continue its crackdown on illegal encroachments linked to criminal networks, ensuring that no individual benefits from proceeds of crime or unauthorised occupation of public land. The local residents informed that these two drug traffickers would often intimidate and threaten villagers.
Meanwhile, village Sarpanch of Khanpur, Paramjit Kaur, and local residents commended the action of the government against drug smugglers. “We welcome such measures by the Punjab government to eradicate drug menace from the state, ” they added.
A day earlier, the police launched a statewide operation against drugs, conducting raids at more than 750 locations leading to the arrest of 290 smugglers after the registration of 232 first information reports (FIRs). The massive crackdown came after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann last week gave Punjab Police a three-month deadline to make the state drug-free.