A deep nexus exists between the police and the drug mafia in India, Central Bureau of Investigation Director Ashwani Kumar (58) said on Saturday.
“It’s a reality that police officers salute drug lords these days and people belonging to the Indian Administrative Service exchange pleasantries with them,” he said. “There is a deep nexus between big drug lords and police officials, which increases drug abuse in the country.”
This was a factor behind the high drug abuse in India, Kumar said.
He said the military should be allowed to launch a drive against the drug mafia, as the police had failed in that respect.
Kumar was speaking in Ludhiana (88 km west of Chandigarh) at a seminar “Drug De-addiction — Role of Law and Society”, attended by Justice D.K. Jain of the Supreme Court (61), Punjab & Haryana High Court Chief Justice T.S. Thakur (57) and a large number of police officials.
In Punjab, 60 per cent of the youth are addicted to drugs, which are supplied through the state in a major way, Kumar said.