In Chhattisgarh, illegal opium crop found in Balrampur district after Durg; Cong to protest statewide

RAIPUR: A fresh case of alleged illegal opium cultivation has surfaced in Chhattisgarh, this time in Balrampur district, days after a major poppy cultivation case was unearthed in Durg.Officials said illegal opium cultivation was detected at Tripuri village in Kusmi region, where the crop was found spread over around two to five acres near a forested stretch in Sarnatoli. Police and revenue officials rushed to the spot after receiving information from villagers and began seizure and verification proceedings.According to Balrampur SDM Anmol Toppo, "We got information about opium farming and seizure is underway.

The farming was being done on approximately 2.5 - 3 acre of land. A probe team is on the job now."To keep the area secured, police teams have been deployed at the spot for the night.Preliminary inputs suggest the land belongs to a tribal resident and had allegedly been taken on lease by a man from Jharkhand, who is suspected to have cultivated the opium crop there. Officials said the crop was fully grown and slits had already been made on the pods, indicating it was ready for extraction.

A joint team of police and the revenue department have launched an inquiry to establish ownership of the field and identify all those involved. Police have detained a few labourers from the spot for clarity and more information. Police said strict legal action would be taken against those found responsible.The fresh recovery has added to the political heat over narcotics in the state. Former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel said the Durg case was only the beginning and alleged that the trade in opium and other dry drugs was being run under political protection.“Another opium crop has been caught. I had already said that Durg was only the beginning of the exposure. The trade in opium and synthetic drugs is being run in an organised manner under the protection of the chief minister and the home minister,” Baghel said.The Congress has also announced statewide protests on March 12, saying party workers would gherao BJP district offices over the alleged spread of narcotics under political patronage.In a related development in Durg, the district administration on Tuesday demolished an alleged illegal shop belonging to Brijesh Tamrakar, brother of BJP leader Vinayak Tamrakar, who was arrested earlier in the Samoda opium cultivation case.Officials said the demolition was carried out in Samoda village under Jevra-Sirsa outpost area under the supervision of the tehsildar, with police and revenue teams present. Adequate police force was deployed during the operation.