BENGALURU: Upa Lokayukta Justice B Veerappa took a suo motu case over the rampant selling of ganja in Srirangapatna taluk of the Mandya district.
Acting on a media report which highlights that even minor children are falling prey to the illegal sale of ganja, afeem, charas in Ganjam village of Srirangapatna taluk, and no action has been taken by the police for the best reasons known to them, despite knowing the menace, Justice Veerappa expressed concern that the children are losing their future because of this menace, which is very disturbing.
Therefore, there is a necessity of conducting an investigation to root out the menace and also to fix the responsibility on the police officials for alleged dereliction of duty on their part, he said.
He also sought details such as how many cases of drug peddling were registered in the last five years, how many accused pleaded guilty, what precautionary measures were taken to curb the menace, and whether any children or people addicted to drugs were given de-addiction treatment and also to name any other villages apart from Ganjam that are facing a similar situation.
Noting that it is the duty of the state to ensure the well-being of the people and good health, as stressed by the apex court, he registered a complaint against 13 officials, including the police inspector, tahsildar, assistant commissioner and others. They were asked to submit their explanation along with the necessary documents on the issues raised in the complaint.
He marked the complaint copy to the chief secretary, the health department, SP and DC of Mandya and also the district-in-charge minister.