Chandigarh, March 19 (IANS) AAP Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Harbhajan Singh has opposed the Punjab government’s act of demolition of houses and immovable assets of drug smugglers.
In a video message, he said he disagreed with the government’s use of JCB machines to demolish drug peddlers’ houses, stating, “I am not in favour of demolishing houses; drug suppliers should be arrested instead.”
Later, the former Indian cricketer clarified in a post on X and said, “I stand in complete support of Punjab Police and the government. Finally, we have a govt which is serious about eradicating drugs and the message is clear.”
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema last week said the ongoing ‘War Against Drugs’ campaign has got encouraging results with the seizure of over 81 kg heroin, more than 51 kg opium, and Rs 60 lakh in cash in just 13 days. A total of 1, 259 first information reports (FIRs) have been registered under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), and 1, 759 drug traffickers have been arrested. Additionally, around 7.5 lakh intoxicating tablets and 970 kg of poppy husk along with other synthetic drugs have been seized by the police, he said.
Also, the properties of 29 people associated with drug trafficking have been demolished. Cheema said that these individuals had amassed crores of rupees in illegal assets through smuggling.
He said the AAP government is committed to eradicating drugs from Punjab. The police are working around the clock and taking action against drug traffickers. He said that no one involved in drugs would be spared and in the coming days all such individuals will be behind bars.
Cheema stated that, unlike previous governments that protected drug traffickers, the AAP government is taking strict action against them. He accused the previous Akali-BJP and Congress governments of conspiring to trap the youth in drug addiction under a welllan.