Bihar police book landowners for illegal opium cultivation

PATNA: Bihar police have begun lodging FIRs against the original landowners, whose lands are being used for cultivation of opium, in a crackdown on the illegal farming and trade of the contraband. So far, cases against 18 landowners in Gaya and two in Jamui have been filed for letting use of farms for cultivation of opium.

The forested and hilly areas of Gaya, Jamui and Nawada in Bihar became notorious for illegal opium cultivation over the past two decades. The periodic destruction of crops and lodging of cases against those engaged in cultivation of opium while sparing the landowners, did little to stem the thriving trade and the contraband crop kept resurfacing on the same fields.

Experts, however, remain sceptical if the new approach will be able to uproot the illegal trade considering the growing scale of opium production, called ‘afim’ locally. They also ask if the law can be enforced in areas where anti-government militias are active and when even politicians are alleged to be involved in the drug trade.

Gaya SSP Aditya Kumar said all previous cases were of possession or seizure of illicit opium and other drugs. This was the first-time that cases were filed against illegal opium farming. People are growing opium as a cash crop to make fast and easy money, he said.

Confirming that the police had recently destroyed opium crops, the SSP said Maoists have raised opium in over 500 acres of land in Barachatti, Dhangai, Dobhi and Mohanpur area. The operation will continue till the last opium plant was uprooted, he added. Police said that besides extortion, earnings from narcotics remain an important source of Maoist funding. The money thus gained is spent on procurement of weapons and maintenance of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army, the armed wing of the CPI (Maoist).