Opium farmers protest action of narcotics dept in Chittorgarh

Bhilwara: Opium farmers staged a sit-in at the Chittorgarh district collectorate Friday, protesting alleged harassment by the Narcotics dept. The protest, organised under the banner of the Afeem Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, began around 11am and continued till evening before being called off after talks with officials.Congress leader and Badisadri MLA candidate Badrilal Jat, who led the protest, alleged that recent actions by the dept had created fear among farmers. He cited raids in Devariya village where a farmer and the village headman were arrested over alleged excess water content in opium, and action in Delwas village where a recovery of about Rs 1.05 crore was alleged.Jat claimed that due to fear of strict provisions under the NDPS Act, farmers were being forced to sell jewellery and property to pay penalties.Farmers demanded that raids should not be conducted at their homes before the official weighing of opium and sought daily weighing arrangements to avoid harassment.The sit-in ended after Narcotics dept Kota additional director Jabbar Singh Rajpurohit assured action, including removal of the inspector accused of harassing farmers from Chittorgarh district. Jat said a police complaint over alleged illegal recovery would also be filed against the inspector Saturday.Chittorgarh MP and former BJP state president CP Joshi said he had spoken to Narcotics dept officials and directed them to conduct an impartial investigation.