Punjab Cop Faces Probe After Viral Video Shows Heroin Found In His Pocket

A police personnel accused of possessing narcotics in Barnala has landed in trouble after a viral video triggered an investigation, raising uncomfortable questions over Punjab Police's anti-drug campaign

As Punjab Police continues to wage its much-publicised 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' (War Against Drugs) campaign, a case involving a police personnel allegedly linked to narcotics has raised uncomfortable questions about the force's own credibility in the fight against drugs.

Barnala Police has registered a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act against a police personnel after investigating a video that went viral on social media. 

The video purportedly shows a group of youths confronting a uniformed policeman and claiming to have found packets of <i>'chitta'</i> or heroin in his pocket.

According to the police, a complaint had been registered at City-2 Police Station, Barnala, under Section 21 of the NDPS Act.

The controversy reportedly began when some youths from Badra village claimed that they spotted the policeman allegedly consuming drugs near a tractor agency on Dhanaula Road. They allegedly followed him and confronted him. The youths subsequently claimed that packets of suspected narcotics were recovered from his possession.

The incident is said to have taken place between Kacheri Chowk and Guru Ravidas Chowk. The youths reportedly took the policeman to the District Police Headquarters after the alleged recovery.

Following the circulation of the video, Barnala Police initiated an inquiry and registered a case after verifying the footage.

DSP Rajinder Pal Singh confirmed the registration of the complaint, stating that the police were investigating the matter seriously. He said investigators were also examining the backward and forward links of the alleged drug network to establish where the narcotics came from, who supplied them and whether other individuals were involved.

Police officials said further legal action would be taken based on the findings of the investigation.

The case, however, has put the spotlight on an uncomfortable contradiction for Punjab Police. While the force has been conducting raids, making arrests and running an aggressive campaign under 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' to dismantle drug networks across the state, allegations involving its own personnel threaten to undermine public confidence in the campaign.

The larger question is whether the fight against drugs can achieve credibility on the ground if those entrusted with enforcing the law themselves come under the scanner in narcotics-related cases.

The investigation is underway, and the complete facts will emerge only after the police establish the alleged role of the personnel and trace the supply chain.