Drug smuggling to fund terrorism to be booked under strict UAPA: Ahir

Cases of drug smuggling to fund terror activities will be booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir has said.

He said currently such cases are booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) Act, 1985.

“It has been established that funds are being raised through drug smuggling and are used for terror activities. Hence the Indian government, for the first time, is going to book such activities under UAPA instead of the NDPS Act. We are going to do it for sure,” Ahir said.

He was speaking at an event commemorating the bravery of security force personnel during the Mumbai terror attacks.

“In what is known as the Golden Triangle, opium and marijuana are supplied from Afghanistan to the Pakistan border and the drugs then enter India through the north-east,” he said.

The minister said the government had decided to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other measures to make the border areas safer. “We have decided to take very strong action against such activities,” the BJP MP said.

Ahir said the government used high-tech sensors to detect infiltrations from across the International Border and that the prime minister had also “helped by providing funds for such modernisation”.

He said many terror attacks and infiltration bids were foiled in the aftermath of the 26/11 strikes.

“We also asked for the help of respective state governments where International Border-related issues are routinely addressed. We have sanctioned Rs 5 crore for security forces,” he said.

Ahir said Rohingya refugees tried to enter India through Bangladesh, but failed.

The government remained unfazed despite an attempt was made by some sections to link to religion its opposition to Rohingya refugees, he said.

“Our government has taken a firm stand of not accepting a single Rohingya in the country. Some people tried to link our decision to caste and religion, but we remained firm. We did not hide it,” Ahir said. There are some people who live in this country but they do not work to protect the interest of the country, he said.