Mann transfers entire staff of police post over drugs complaint

Bathinda: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday transferred the entire staff of a police post out of Bathinda district after a sarpanch complained about the easy availability of drugs in Gulabgarh village, on the outskirts of Bathinda district HQ.Acting on the CM's directions, Bathinda Range DIG ordered the entire staff of Kot Shamir police post shifted to Mansa district. Those shifted include three assistant sub-inspectors, four senior constables, a constable and three home guard jawans, Bathinda Range DIG Harjit Singh told TOI, adding that a departmental enquiry has been marked against Bathinda Sadar SHO, inspector Jaswinder Singh. Leniency on drugs will not be tolerated, he said.Before moving to Jaito for a rally, Mann met nearly 600-700 people to listen to their grievances at Balwant Gargi Auditorium in Bathinda. Gulabgarh sarpanch Lakha Singh complained that drugs were freely available in the area but local cops ignore complaints although a couple of youths have died due to alleged drug overdose. The sarpanch said that he had filed written complaints at the police post, but police failed to take action, that too when state govt is running a zero-tolerance campaign against drug abuse.Angered by the complaint, Mann asked DIG Harjit Singh to shift the entire staff out of Bathinda, maybe to Pathankot. "The entire police force and govt are involved in a war against drugs and under such circumstances, if some cops give no heed to free flow of drugs, it is intolerable," he said.Some people complained about unavailability of potable water in a village, and some others complained about erratic power supply.