7 Lakh Litres of Alcohol, 115 Quintals of Drugs, Rs 7.5 Crore Seized in Rajasthan Ahead of the Polls

Guwahati: With the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, many incidents of illegal supply of liquor and goods have come into the light and a vigil set against such illegal activities have unveiled the dark story behind pre-poll campaigning. The vigil started by Rajasthan police ahead of the elections that lasted for five months ending on October 31 have resulted into a seizure of more than 7 lakh litres of alcohol, 115 quintals of drugs, more than 3,000 firearms along with Rs 7.5 crore in cash.

NRK Reddy, special director general of police, law and order, states, “We are following all the instructions of the election commission. As precautionary measures, we are putting up barricades and conducting search operations at unexpected places, and tracking people with past criminal records and anyone involved in drug smuggling for information.”

Reddy added, “Liquor and other spurious items can be used to purchase votes. Certain groups may go all out to lure voters through liquor and drugs, which is why it is necessary to control them.”

Moreover, as the Election Commission had ordered people holding licensed firearms to surrender their weapons until November 12, police received 1,32,713 of the 1,79, 827 licensed weapons at its police stations across the state. Not only is the surrender of weapons ordered, in fact, but the EC also puts a ban on issuing of a license for arms during the period of elections that commences with the date of announcement of elections.

Mridul Kachawa, assistant superintendent of police, Sri Ganganagar (rural) says, “Two constituencies, Sadulshahar and Ganganagar, come under the limits of my circle area and both are infamous for over expenditure during elections. Voters, especially youngsters, are very prone to these tablets as they are very cheap.”

As reported, 975 cartons of illegal liquor were seized from Harmara and Chomu regions of Rajasthan. 970 cartoons were recovered in Harmara and 5 containers of Haryana-made liquor were seized in Chomu.

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