Srinagar, May 09 — Jammu and Kashmir Health Minister Sakina Itoo on Friday said attaching and demolishing properties in NDPS-related cases was not justified if entire families were being made to suffer for the actions of one individual.
Speaking on the ongoing anti-drug crackdown, Itoo said action against narcotics was necessary and welcomed efforts to curb drug peddling, but maintained that the approach should remain balanced and focused on actual networks involved in the trade.
“I appreciate the action being taken against drug peddlers, but it must be ensured that innocent people are not harassed or falsely implicated,” she said.
The minister said the responsibility of curbing drug trafficking primarily rested with the Home Department, while the Health Department was focused on treatment, counselling and rehabilitation of affected persons.
“The Home Department is responsible for stopping drug peddling, while treatment, counselling and rehabilitation come under the Health Department. We are working tirelessly on that front,” Itoo said.
She said authorities must identify how narcotics are entering communities and dismantle the networks behind the supply chain rather than taking measures that impact families and society at large.
“The administration and police should track where drugs are coming from and must disrupt and target that network, not the society itself,” she said.
Itoo said cases had emerged where properties were being attached or demolished even when they were not owned by the individual accused in a drug-related case.
“If one individual has committed a mistake, the entire family should not become a victim,” she said, adding that demolishing or attaching family properties in such circumstances was “not justified.”
The minister also referred to the alleged harassment incident at Amar Singh College, saying the matter needed to be handled responsibly.