HYDERABAD: Telangana Anti Narcotics Bureau (TGNAB) Director Sandeep Shandilya on Monday urged anti-drug committees (ADC) in educational institutions to alert the police in case of suspicion of substance abuse among students.
“There are over 3,500 ADCs in schools and colleges. But these ADCs mostly exist only for lip service,” Shandilya told TNIE.
“Educational institutions have security guards and CCTV footage that can easily alert them about instances of narcotic abuse within a 200-meter radius of the institution. Yet they do not give information to police,” he added.
Recently, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy discussed drug use among youngsters in a meeting, the top cop said. “Following the meeting, we have asked ADCs to employ retired police officers in case they are not able to collect information.”
When students are caught consuming drugs, the police will neither reveal their identity nor vilify them, Shandilya emphasised. Therefore, schools and colleges should not go into self-denial; they should think of the students’ future and alert the police, he added.
“If a student is caught with drugs, we will find the suppliers. Cases are booked against the suppliers and not the students under the Juvenile Justice Act,” Shandilya said.
Given that action will only be taken against the suppliers, the TGNAB director wondered why a school should be bothered about a paan shop owner near the school who is selling ganja chocolates to children. Since the identity of the educational institutions will not be revealed, he urged ADCs to give information to the police.
Institutions should check bags and lockers of students for e-cigarettes, vapes, small liquor bottles, ganja chocolates, weed, cigarettes and the like, he said. “Sometimes, senior students use their juniors to smuggle drugs and cigarettes by bullying. In case they are students, we will not be disclosing their names,” he reiterated.