Guwahati: AIUDF chief and Binnakandi MLA Badruddin Ajmal triggered a political controversy on Tuesday after advocating police encounters against drug traffickers, saying stronger measures were needed to curb Assam’s growing narcotics problem.Participating in a discussion on the state’s drug menace in the state assembly, Ajmal warned about the increasing impact of narcotics and said, “Save this country from drugs otherwise no family will be spared from this menace…” He credited Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for curbing dacoity in Muslim-dominated areas and urged similar action against drug traffickers.“You have eliminated some dacoits by shoot-at-sight. Whenever you find a criminal do not run a case but eliminate them,” Ajmal said while speaking during the Assembly debate on drug menace. Later, speaking to reporters outside the House, Ajmal reiterated his stand, arguing that legislation alone would not eliminate the drug menace. “Govt is just passing laws but I advocate shoot-at-sight. There should be encounter. They should encounter a few drug traffickers and drug users,” Ajmal said, describing them as murders of the society. He added that the drug problem could not be eradicated without encounters.Responding to the debate, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma appealed to all political parties and legislators to extend full support to the govt’s campaign against drug traffickers and users. He welcomed the display of unity in the Assembly where Congress MLAs also advocated stern action against drug trafficking. But Sarma said previous anti-drug operations often also attracted criticism from some opposition MLAs.“Due to some unavoidable circumstances when someone (drug trafficker) sustained bullet injury some MLAs from the House protested,” Sarma said.The chief minister maintained that “tough action” was necessary as drug traffickers frequently carried firearms and police had, at times, been compelled to open fire while intercepting them.Sarma also cautioned against linking the drug problem to any particular community. He said the menace was not confined to the minority community and expressed concern that discussions earlier often shifted to the religion of an accused whenever police arrested a drug offender.“I hope if positivity remains like today we will be able to do lots of good work,” he said.Sarma acknowledged that major challenges remained in dismantling interstate and cross-border drug networks, noting that investigations often hit a dead end at the Myanmar border along Manipur and Mizoram. He however said both state govts were cooperating with the Centre and expressed hope that stronger measures would be introduced in the coming days.Highlighting the govt’s anti-drug campaign, Sarma later posted on social media: “Under Mission #AssamAgainstDrugs, we have seized narcotics worth over ₹3,253 crore and arrested more than 26,500 offenders since 2021. We will pursue this crackdown till we dismantle the drug network.”
