Homes in Punjab's villages are left abandoned by the addicts. Image: Sharanya Deepak
The police stop a bus and question people during a recent drug raid. Image: Sharanya Deepak
Kashmir, a state in the northeastern corner of India, was first to fall prey to drug smuggling on the borders, substances started to be brought in with gold, fake notes and weapons. But due to high militarization in the conflicted state, smugglers shifted focus to Punjab.It is not just the substance that is being exported by the Taliban, but also corruption, terror and the complete dissolution of the law. A terror attack in Pathankot, Punjab earlier this year that involved drug smugglers allegedly included Salwinder Singh, superintendent of police, who might have created a safe passage for the terrorists into Punjab.It is not just the substance that is being exported by the Taliban, but also corruption, terror and the complete dissolution of the law.
"Who's going to keep us safe? It's those that are supposed to protect us that are letting them in," says Amrit, a young convict I spoke to in Pathankot jail. "These men take cuts of profits and we get put in jail," he says, pointing to a policeman. In response he gets hit on the shin.While drugs come through the borders, much of their processing happens within India. Pharmaceuticals and chemicals are manufactured inside factories in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, making for easy distribution, Indian Express reported. The police are some of the main circulators of the substances, and often convicts are easy targets for heroin at high prices. Though many of Punjab's jails now have rehabilitation centers, drugs are easily available inside them as well.Read More: The US Leaving Afghanistan Means More Heroin in Russia
Lovely Professional University is a breeding ground for drug sales. Image: Sharanya Deepak
A state deaddiction center. Image: Sharanya Deepak
Though awareness has spread and moles exposed, the system has not improved. Low-income populations have been interrogated, and cheaper drugs abolished, but the larger economy of heroin still prevails."Chemicals are for losers," adds Sandeep, "If I ever go back to drugs, it'll be for the real stuff (heroin)."'Punjab is Flying'Despite the number of young men who still fail to recover from years of addiction, the reigning political party, the Akali Dal, continues to dismiss Punjab's drug problem. In 2015 alone, 86 people died in Punjabi jails, according to the Indian Express, and heroin addiction increased by 20 percent."They told me they would beat me if I so much as twitched."
On the first of September 2016, drug retests took place across Punjab, and politicians claimed that the drug addiction of Punjab was a myth created by opposition parties. Earlier, in September, they said it was all an effort to defame the government and win points for the elections in 2017. Meanwhile, propaganda in the hands of the government continues, and the drug racket in Punjab keeps growing.
Drugs can be bought from medical shops and laboratories. Image: Sharanya Deepak