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Drug dealers remain firm on protest
WHY WHOLESALE drug dealers are protesting against the raid on two chemist shops at Awasthi market in Birhana Road on February 1? Amazingly, their protest is over seizure of 11 cartons of physician sample drug during a raid when the two drug dealers struck a deal for Rs 2 lakh with a fake purchaser, who had even deposited Rs 50,000 as an advance. Sources said the person was sent on the direction of the District Magistrate following complaints from a social organization, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, headed by ex-DGP of Punjab Julius Francis Rebeiro.
WHY WHOLESALE drug dealers are protesting against the raid on two chemist shops at Awasthi market in Birhana Road on February 1?
Amazingly, their protest is over seizure of 11 cartons of physician sample drug during a raid when the two drug dealers struck a deal for Rs 2 lakh with a fake purchaser, who had even deposited Rs 50,000 as an advance. Sources said the person was sent on the direction of the District Magistrate following complaints from a social organization, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, headed by ex-DGP of Punjab Julius Francis Rebeiro. The State in-charge of the organisation is ex-DGP of Uttar Pradesh Prakash Singh.
District Magistrate Deepak Kumar was told about sale of spurious and physician’s sample drugs by two dealers at Birhana Road by the Alliance.
A clandestine operation was carried out by three former DSPs and members of the social organization, Babban Singh, Raj Bahadur Singh and SS Laur. After confirming the facts, they chalked out a strategy with the DM to raid the shops.
To ensure optimum results, even drug authorities of the Health Department were not informed till 30 minutes before the raid by the CMO Dr VS Singh.
Policemen of various stations along with drug authorities raided SK-RK Enterprises and an unauthorized shop and seized 11 cartons of physician sample medicines on February 1. Later, the drug authority lodged an FIR against Rajesh Kumar Gupta and Sanjay Gupta, who were arrested by the police.
The drug dealers said the sample medicines were kept at SK-RK Enterprises for distribution among poor people during the inauguration of Ashray Charitable Society on February 3.
The dealers remained firm on their stand and even kept their shops closed on Thursday. Besides, they also held a dharna against arrest of two drug dealers. A drug dealer said, “We are not against the inquiry but the manner in which two drug dealers have been arrested by the police is deplorable.”
Moreover, a source said that there had been a nexus between drug authorities and dealers. “Ten minutes before the raid, one official of the drug authority had passed the information to the raided shop who had utilized that period in hiding spurious medicines,” said the source. He also said that had the police arrived 5 minutes late, the dealers would have replaced all samples medicines.
Surprisingly, there is a confusion over cost and type of seized medicines, SHO Collectorganj AK Singh said, “Drugs worth Rs 8-10 lakh were seized in which Alprazolam tablets were found in large quantity.” Whereas, Assistant Drug Controller PR Singh, who has on Thursday faxed the details of seized drugs to the Drug Controller, Satguru Prasad in Lucknow said, “There has been no finding of Alprazolam tablets but all the seized drugs were costly and life-saving.” He also said, “An inquiry is being conducted against drug manufacturers whose products were seized from Birahana Road.”
With this, the officials of the drug manufacturing companies, whose drugs were found during the raids, have also come under scrutiny, said the source.
Meanwhile, District Magistrate Deepak Kumar said, “This is true that following complaint from Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, the raid was executed and the administration has adequate evidences against the raided shops.”
