It will be extremely paradoxical that at the time when the state administration has involved itself deeply in the fight against the menace of drugs, ‘evil’ has been discovered within its own ranks. The state DGP in a press briefing on Tuesday has divulged that upon finding guilty of involvement in drug trafficking, three police officials have been terminated from their services. It will be premature and unjustified to come to the conclusion if the ‘root’ has penetrated deeper or not, however, for the state’s police fraternity it has come as a bout of demoralization. Such things shouldn’t have happened, but they do happen in the country and it will be hard to pick out any single profession not infested with these ‘black sheep’. If the state police suspect an extensive extension of the ‘cobweb’, it should not think twice in launching internal investigations to book the culprits. An assurance in this regard, thankfully, has come from the Chief Minister.
In the context of the above development it’s necessary to recall last month’s State Level Technical Expert Committee meeting on drug abuse wherein the Chief Secretary while expressing deep concern over the rising menace informed that multiple reports have suggested that many of the government employees are involved in drug abuse and toxicology tests will be done in the most-affected districts of Namsai, Lohit, Dibang Valley, Upper Siang, Anjaw, Changlang, Tirap and West Kameng which are also amongst the 272 worst-drug-affected districts in the country. The administrative measure implies that these officials are engaged in consuming drugs which is definitely a crime as per service rules. Compared to it, offence of the sacked police personnel is of a higher magnitude as they have been found not the consumers themselves, but active participants in the supply chain. It’s understandable how difficult the task in thwarting the most-terrible evil plaguing Arunachal gets, if there are such ‘moles’ inside. Lure for quick money coupled with in-born tendencies of a handful of certain individuals to embrace corruption have ruined the country and that’s why discussions on the topic of ‘Corruption in public life/sphere/institutions’ never ends. What an official can do if his or her subordinate nurtures lofty financial ambitions and resort to ‘any’ means for its attainment. It’s only after detection of a case like the current one, noises are heard and alarm bells ring. There is no medicine for moral degradation and all corruption cases in the country that trickle out on the public domain are all but a pinch of what really happens.
This is a disgraceful act indeed and hopefully the last one. To save the state’s youths from the tentacles of drugs, all efforts, from both government and non-government channels should be welcomed. 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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