GUWAHATI, July 14: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma asserted that his government would be ruthless against any form of crime and directed the state police force to take “extreme action” against dreaded criminals as and when required and permissible under law.
Replying to a question in the Assembly here on Wednesday, the chief minister said a “zero-tolerance” policy would be adhered to against criminals who try to attack Assam Police (personnel).
“Such criminals will get a befitting reply irrespective of anything. Our fight against drugs and criminals will continue till I occupy the chief minister’s chair,” Sarma said.
“Dreaded criminals cannot be allowed to attack our police personnel. So I would appeal to our police personnel to take, within the ambit of law, extreme action against these criminals. The Assam government will protect our police personnel,” he said.
Sarma informed that one criminal died, while seven were shot at and injured while they tried to snatch service revolvers from the police personnel during encounters of late.
Encounters between police and arrested accused have been the talk of the town with back-to-back incidents of police shooting at criminals trying to escape from custody emerging as a “pattern” of late.
The chief minister himself had recently asserted that “such steps to restrain dreaded criminals from attacking police and escaping from custody would be the pattern”
In regard to the intensive operations against illegal drug trade in the state, the chief minister said that “coordinated efforts are on with the other Northeastern states to jointly tackle against the menace.”
“The Assam Police has registered 1120 cases and arrested as many as 1897 drug peddlers in the past two months,” the chief minister said.
Giving an account of the drug seizures made in the past two months, Sarma said “27.63 kg heroin, 12823 kg ganja, 41 kg opium, 78,000 cough syrup bottles, 3kg morphine, 3kg crystalline, 33kg poppy straw, Rs 15000 worth fake and foreign currency and cash worth Rs 1.80 crore were seized from these drug peddlers
Sarma further said that the seized drugs would be burnt and destroyed this weekend so that “a message goes to the people against such harmful substances.”