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Assam’s addiction crisis
The recent murder in Guwahati, in which a woman was allegedly killed and her head severed by her husband following a marital conflict, has opened a disturbing moral dilemma for Assam’s increasingly urban society. Preliminary reports have linked the case to allegations of adultery as well as drug and alcohol abuse, with the accused reportedly being a drug addict. Beyond the horror of the crime itself, the case should compel society and the state to examine the deeper conditions that allow violence, addiction and criminality to intersect with such devastating consequences.
Guwahati, and increasingly several towns across Assam, are beginning to resemble a house slowly filling with dark smoke, while the state continues to search for the matchstick. Drug and alcohol abuse, particularly among young people, can no longer be treated merely as a public-health issue. It is becoming a law-and-order, family and social-governance challenge. When individuals lose their fear of the consequences of addiction and violence, the damage extends far beyond the individual—it enters homes, neighbourhoods and institutions.
The situation is also becoming a serious test of Assam’s already burdened criminal justice system. Every violent crime associated with addiction adds another investigation, prosecution and trial to a judicial system already struggling with pendency. The police are making seizures and arrests in drug-related cases, but catching street-level peddlers alone is akin to cutting the branches of a poisonous tree while leaving its roots untouched. Every arrested peddler can be replaced unless enforcement reaches the financiers, suppliers, transport networks, storage points and larger syndicates that sustain the trade. The objective must be to dismantle the ecosystem, not merely increase the seizure statistics.
Alcohol presents a different, though connected, dilemma. Excise revenue may strengthen the state's coffers, but the fiscal calculation cannot end at the point of sale. The state must also account for the downstream costs—policing, road accidents, domestic violence, sexual offences, healthcare expenditure and public disorder. Assam should therefore resist indiscriminate expansion of liquor outlets and move towards evidence-based regulation of availability, density and consumption.
What Assam needs is not another episodic crackdown but a coordinated strategy combining intelligence-led enforcement, rehabilitation, prevention, responsible alcohol regulation, youth intervention and community participation. The Guwahati murder should not become another headline that fades with the next news cycle. It should serve as a warning that when addiction, family breakdown and violence converge, the cost is ultimately borne by society. The state must act before the smoke fills every room.
Shahin Yusuf
Guwahati
Nature, compassion and human beings
There comes a point in our life when we look back at the journey we've taken and often discover that we undervalued or overlooked many important things. We remained so busy building our careers and making money that we forgot we are human beings and not divine powers to exist forever, and when the call from the Almighty comes, we will have to leave this earth one day. We kept on wasting our time building concrete structures, yet never knew where ultimate solitude resides. In this merchandise world, power, pelf and material things attracted our attention so much that we understood neither the bounty of nature nor human compassion. From dawn to dusk nature bestowed its gift to us to make our life joyful, yet we kept on searching for happiness somewhere else. The empty roads always waited in the morning to deliver the calmness to us, but we never reached there. When we grew up, morning meant preparing for the day ahead; we never bothered to see the rising sun, light of which comes down to clear the darkness of the night and light the earth. Have we thought about what the world would do if the sun refused to rise up? But why should we think so, since everything in nature is free? And anything that is free, human beings seldom value. The rains always paused our movements and gave the opportunity to look at the beautiful world around us, but we kept on moving in search of wealth. We tried to find enjoyment in high orchestra music but never listened to the chirping of birds, sounds of which were as delightful as the giggling of babies. The winters bought our memories back, but we remained busy looking for discounts in jackets and shawls in the shopping malls and let the snow and fog vanish unnoticed. From the winds that blew to the stars that twinkle, there is magic in everything, but we never had the time to realize it. And now when we look back to see why we didn't find peace despite having stockpiles of cash and jewels, we discover that we captured everything but ignored the beautiful things of nature that were necessary for human joy. We never realised that human beings are inseparably linked to every natural phenomenon of this world. Nature unfolded its wonder in every season, in days and nights and in flowers and trees, but we wasted time chasing material things, which were futile.
We grew older by making colleagues, associates and partners. Friends were someone whom we left at schools. All our lives we prioritized the benefits that came out of the relationships. Compassion, bonding and commitments are now only words found in books. Love came with a condition and help with an agenda. We never visited the old school we once read about, nor did we long to see the village where our childhood still resides. As we travelled through life’s phases, we became an object that does not recognise the petrichor of rains or feel human pain. Now, after living half of our lives, we discover ourselves alone and upset, reflecting on what went wrong in our actions. It is nothing but the failure to recognize the relationship between nature and human life. The Vedas elucidate the significance of "jal, vayiu, and paban" in human evolution, yet we often neglect to explore this knowledge. We are a part of nature. In our pursuit of deadlines, targets, and extravagant lifestyles, we neglected to connect our minds and souls with the wonders of nature. We also forgot the value of human bonds and emotions that connect people. We neither valued friendship nor cared for our elders. Today when we contemplate what we have, we find everything with us, except that everlasting joy, which we searched our whole life for.
Kabir Ahmed Saikia
Rajabari, Jorhat
Tackling despair and distress to prevent suicide
Globally, 7,00,000 suicide deaths are reported every year. In India alone, 1,75,000 deaths due to suicide were reported in 2024. Prevention cannot be very difficult because it almost always is an instantaneous spark that drives many individuals into committing an act of self-destruction. Broadly, despair and distress, the two common emotions, need to be tackled. Family awareness about the early signs is crucial. Observing the individual's body language closely can be very beneficial. Greater emphasis is needed on the role of community members in suicide prevention efforts.
Professional help may be necessary at some point. Mental disorders that set off suicidal thoughts and tendencies warrant both active and passive management. Awareness must be increased regarding suicide helpline numbers, ensuring that these numbers function effectively, understanding the dos and don'ts when a suicide attempt is suspected, and knowing the immediate emergency measures to take. "Changing the narrative on suicide" was the triennial (2024–2026) theme for the World Suicide Prevention Day, September 10.
Dr Ganapathi Bhat
(gbhat13@gmail.com)