Keeping vigil, Daulewala youth panels fight ‘drug village’ tag
MOGA: A group of youngsters from Daulewala village in Moga has taken an initiative towards removing the tag of ‘drug village’ from its name. Since Monday, the group has formed three committees comprising 15 members each who have been keeping a vigil against smugglers and addicts by conducting searches of those who enter the village. They are also keeping a record of suspicious persons.
Gurmej Singh, 31, a committee member, said, “We set up checkpoints and also patrol the area on bikes from 7am to midnight.”
He claimed there has been improvement. Gurlal Singh, 28, said, “We have caught several people suspected to be drug smugglers or addicts and handed them over to police.”
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gurpreet Singh Toor said the force has received positive feedback about the village committees “as we have started receiving information from anonymous sources (in form of letters too) about suppliers in the village, and we are acting on that”. “We have been also informing our counterparts in other areas about suspects rounded up near the village, even about addicts, so that suppliers can be identified,” he added. A large number of police personnel have been deployed at the village entry and exit points under supervision of inspectors.
“We are trying to arrest the proclaimed offenders of Daulewala village in drug cases, and mainly focusing on breaking supply chains in which are succeeding. The supply chain has almost been broken ,” the SSP further claimed.
Balbir Kaur, 50, a resident of the village, said, “We have had to bear the tag ‘drug village’ and paid the price for it, because it damages us socially. For instance, most of our relative, and some natives who live elsewhere, do not visit village fearing for their reputation. I personally faced a lot of trouble when we started looking from a prspectove husband for my daughter.”
A senior police official, seeking anonymity, told HT that surprise raids have also been conducted in the past four days. “The villagers are co-operating now. That was not happening earlier,” he added.