30 % people in J&K jails for crimes involving drugs

Srinagar, Aug 04, 2021 : The alarming rise in drug abuse cases in Jammu & Kashmir can be gauged from the fact that over 30 percent of those lodged in jails of the Union Territory (UT) are incarcerated for a crime involving drugs.

Official data in possession of news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) reveal that 1418 persons languishing in jails of J&K UT were facing trial or either convicted under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances(NDPS) Act-1985.  According to data, more than 4600 undertrials, convicts and detenues are lodged in jails of J&K.

The statistics of the Prison Department as on June 1, 2021 lay bare that 1390 jail inmates were facing trial under the NDPS Act.

Among them, 274 were in age group of 18-25, 546 in age group of 25-35, 367 in age-group of 35-45, 173 in age-group of 45-60 and 30 over age years of age.

Among the undertrials, 1362 are males and 28 females.

The data also reveals that out of 157 convicts lodged in jails of the UT, 28 have been convicted under the NDPS Act.

According to their age-profile, two are in age group of 18-25, five in 25-35, 10 in 35-45, eight in 45-60 and three above 60 years. All 28 are males, the data further reveals.

The drug abuse has been on the rise in J&K for the past few years with thousands of youth are becoming addict to the menace every month.

The successive elected regimes in J&K have done little to curb the curb the menace and to elevate health facilities for the affected population.

In January 2019, J&K government unveiled drug de-addiction policy to reduce the menace of drugs.

Under the policy, several departments including police are required to reduce the availability of drugs through several measures including cracking down on supply chain.

Of late, J&K Police has launched crackdown against drug peddlers in Anantnag, Baramulla, Srinagar, Budgam, Sopore and other police districts of Kashmir—(KNO)