E-Paper
Drugs entering Punjab through African students: Ravneet Singh Bittu to PM Modi
Congress’ member of parliament (MP) Ravneet Singh Bittu said the smuggling of drugs was engineered by a section of foreign students, especially from African countries like Nigeria, who were studying in these educational institutions
Congress’ member of parliament (MP) Ravneet Singh Bittu has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighting the growing menace of drug peddling and narcotics consumption across various universities and educational institutions of Punjab.
In a strongly worded letter, Bittu said the smuggling of drugs was engineered by a section of foreign students, especially from African countries like Nigeria, who were studying in these educational institutions.
He has also slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab for “not doing anything about the growing menace”.
“Punjab has been for long suffering due to rampant drug abuse, which is a grave public health problem, particularly among the younger generation of the state. Earlier, the border with Pakistan used to be the only route for supply of heroin. But heroin and other synthetic drugs are being increasingly supplied through African students now. Around 600-700 African students get admission in various private educational institutions in Punjab every year,” Bittu mentioned.
He added that various case studies have revealed that an equal number of women students were also being used for peddling drugs.
“I understand that the intelligence agencies had found that these students living in India, especially in Punjab, have formed groups on social media. The present AAP government has done very little in its around seven months of governance in Punjab, which has led to further escalation of this problem. I am very much pained on witnessing how an entire generation of young people in Punjab is being systematically pushed towards the path of self-destruction due to the apathy of the state government and its inability to find any long-term solution,” Bittu stated.
He added that there was a need to take immediate steps to increase surveillance on all such activities in educational institutions of Punjab.
All intelligence units in the districts need to conduct a detailed survey of activities of African students in Punjab without unnecessarily creating any hassle or panic among students, the Congress MP said.
