Chandigarh: A group of onlookers stood on the banks of the Bhakra canal in Haryana’s Sirsa district, aghast. A man, believed to be in his early 20s, lay dead, still seated on his motorcycle, with a syringe sticking out of his right arm.
It was clear that death came suddenly, soon after he injected himself.
This was on 23 May last year. And it is one of many deaths reported due to drug abuse in Sirsa — a chilling reminder of how a silent menace has been snuffing out young lives month after month in the district.
In May alone, seven addicts had lost their lives to drugs there. That same month, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had admitted during a rally at Sirsa’s Odhan village that 40 drug deaths had so far been reported during the year in Sirsa and Fatehabad districts.
In the past few months, local media have reported drug-related deaths from areas like Rania, Pakka Shahidan, Dadu village and Dabwali in Sirsa.
Speaking to ThePrint, a spokesperson for Sirsa Police said they had registered 624 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and arrested 1,051 persons in 2022. The police also recovered 5.790 kg heroin, 40 kg opium, 4,650 kg poppy husk and 64 kg ganja during this period.
In comparison, the police had registered 446 FIRs under the NDPS Act in 2021 and arrested 785 people. They had recovered 6.987 kg of heroin, 56 kg opium, 2,250 kg poppy husk and 24 kg ganja in the corresponding period.
Even as parents helplessly watch their wards falling prey to this menace, people from all walks of life, including the police, social workers, artists and government agencies in Sirsa have joined hands to create awareness and save the youth from addiction.
Located at the tri-junction of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, Sirsa has long been the epicentre of drugs in the state. Till a decade ago, it was notorious for smuggling opium and poppy husk in the district.
Due to its location, drug traffickers also used this district as the route for smuggling opium and poppy husk from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh towards Punjab. However, in the last couple of years, the addiction to ‘chitta’ has become a major cause for concern in the area.
Local residents allege that most big traffickers bring ‘chitta’ (a common name for heroin) from Delhi or Punjab and supply the consignment to peddlers who in turn deliver the substance at doorstep on a phone call.
With lack of government facilities, private drug de-addiction centres have sprouted in large numbers in the district in the last couple of years.
Sirsa Superintendent of Police (SP) Arpit Jain admitted that the situation is grim in this part of Haryana, adding that the police have adopted a double-pronged strategy — nabbing traffickers and helping addicts shun drugs in future — to solve this problem.
He further said that during the last one year, the district police had conducted nearly 600 awareness camps.
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‘Beta Bachao’
The enormity of the situation can be gauged from the poll strategy adopted by 30-year-old Sunil Kabira while campaigning for his wife Meena during the panchayat elections held in November last year. He used the slogan ‘Beta Bachao’ (save the male child) to garner votes. Meena eventually won the election.
“I took the rampant drug problem as the main issue during the campaign for my wife. Inspired by the government’s 2014 slogan ‘Beti Bachao’ (save the girl child), I came up with this slogan, ‘Beta Bachao’. The manner in which our young men are losing their lives to drugs, it is high time a campaign is launched to save the male children,” Kabira told The Print.
Meanwhile, some NGOs and government agencies are making sincere efforts to curb drug abuse in Sirsa and its surrounding areas.
Tarun Bhatti, who runs an NGO called ‘Manav Adhikar Parishad’ in Haryana, has been running a campaign under the same name as Kabira’s campaign slogan, ‘Beta Bachao’, in collaboration with the police and local administration.
“In the last three years, we have been able to take 13 people away from drugs completely. The figure may seem paltry to you, but we know how difficult it is to save a person who is already addicted to drugs like chitta,” Bhatti told The Print.
Sanjeev Shaad, a theatre artist from Dabwali in Sirsa, uses his art form to create awareness among people on social issues. He highlights the ill-effects of drugs through plays.
Although the drug situation is indeed grave in the district, Shaad said there was no point being negative. “The fact that drug addiction exists among youth is known to all. I always think about what best I can do to address this problem,” he added.
‘Multi-pronged approach required’
Dr Ravinder Puri, a college principal, who teaches psychology, said that the situation warrants a multi-pronged approach. “Those in the grip of drugs need medical as well as psychological support. Those who are on the verge of falling prey to drugs need to be educated.”
He said the community can play a vital role in helping drug addicts by providing them counselling and treatment, besides coordinating with the police to bring the black sheep to book.
“We have at least two awareness camps every week. We take help from NGOs too for our camps. During these awareness camps, we spread messages about the ill effects of drugs through nukkad naataks (street plays)” and films. We ensure that women participate in good numbers in these events because mothers can play a positive role in desisting their wards from drifting towards drugs,” Jain told ThePrint.
The SP further said that the district police has made young and active boys and girls its brand ambassadors in the villages. They had also roped in India Women’s Hockey Goalkeeper Savita Punia who hails from the district for its awareness campaigns.
The State Narcotics Control Bureau also organised an event at Ellenabad in Sirsa in the last week of September. Additional Director General of Police, Narcotics Control Bureau, Shrikant Jadhav administered an oath to youth that they will not use any drugs or other intoxicants in their lives. A ‘dangal’ (wrestling match) was also organised to motivate youth to join sports. Wrestlers from other districts and the National Capital Region participated in the match.
The district administration, meanwhile, has roped in temples and gurdwaras to play audio messages through its public announcement systems against drugs.
(Edited by Geethalakshmi Ramanathan)
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