RPF gears up to penalise drug users, smugglers
By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, May 21: The proscribed Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF) has declared befitting punishment would be awarded to drug users, transporters and smugglers.
Parading 19 drug users before media persons at a location in Thoubal district today, a spokesman of RPF Central Bureau asked all concerned to stop abusing, transporting and peddling intoxicating drugs with effect from today.
Appealing to all the drug users, drug smugglers and peddlers to listen to the party’s request in the interest of the State and all her people, the spokesman warned that RPF and its armed wing PLA would award befitting punishment to all those who refuse to mend their ways.
Altogether 19 youngsters including one girl were paraded before media persons. They were said to be drug users.
The youngsters belonging to Imphal East, Imphal West and Bishnupur districts were pulled up by the party from Khergao, Imphal East on May 19.
Since the first day of the revolutionary movement, RPF and PLA have been working tirelessly for the betterment of the society and all compatriots, the spokesman said.
As a part of the revolutionary movement, RPF set up a separate unit called STAFORCE (Special Task Force) in 1988 to tackle the issue of using, smuggling and peddling drugs as well as other anti-social activities, he continued.
“We must be wary of how the Government of India has been plotting to exterminate the youth of all indigenous communities of Manipur, specially the Meiteis by flooding the State with intoxicating drugs”, he said.
The spokesman said that all the people must understand and fight collectively against the Government of India’s overt and covert strategies of expansionism.
“It is our responsibility to make the society healthy and vibrant, away from the scourge of intoxicating drugs”, he said.
He appealed to all CSOs, local clubs, Meira Paibi groups and all stakeholders to support the outfit’s campaign.
The spokesman once again appealed to all drug users, smugglers and peddlers to retract their steps and shun all such malicious activities.
If they refuse to mend their ways, they must accept whatever punishment is awarded to them, he warned.
“At the same time, we have received reports of some drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centres ill-treating drug users and functioning solely as offices of profit”, he said.
Asking all such centres to rectify their working principle and stop maligning the image of other rehabilitation centres which have been functioning properly and sincerely, the RPF Central Bureau spokesman said that they would start monitoring all those dubious rehabilitation centres.
Two youngsters speaking on behalf of the 19 youths who were paraded before the media accepted that what they did was quite wrong.
Later, all of them were handed over to their respective families along with their mobile phones.
Most of them are said to be teenagers. 18 plastic vials containing brown sugar and one polythene bag containing LSD tablets were recovered from their possession.
The recovered items were handed over to Meira Paibi activists before they were disposed of by dispersing in water.