Kohima: Lotha Eloe Hoho, the apex women body of the Lotha Naga tribe, and Tsumang A/B Youth Organisation in Wokha district of Nagaland, have been warned by the state government against taking the law into their own hands in the fight against drug abuse.
“While the problem of drug abuse remains an acute challenge, we can win the battle only with collective and cooperative approach of all the stakeholders within the boundaries of law,” Wokha deputy commissioner Ajit Kumar Ranjan told the tribal bodies through a letter on Tuesday.
A viral video on social media showing two suspected female drug peddlers being surrounded by the public and their hairs being cut prompted the letter addressed to the tribal bodies.
The DC directed the tribal bodies to “act within the boundaries of law by providing proactive information to the law enforcement agencies and raising awareness amongst the public regarding the drug menace”.
Ranjan cited a letter received on July 17 where the tribal bodies had urged the need for a collective effort to control the drug menace in the district. The DC also recalled meetings with stakeholders held on June 26 during the celebration of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking where the severity of drug use was discussed.
The district administration, he said, had then asked the civil society organisations to provide all possible support by sharing information with the law enforcement agencies and raising awareness among the vulnerable populations, and that their continued concern is worth appreciating.
“However, based on social media reports and the police report received regarding the action taken by your organisation, it appears that the path chosen by you to deal with the suspected case of drug peddling is not within the boundaries of law and will prove to be self-defeating in our collective fight against the drug menace,” the DC said.
Such action, Ranjan said, may also aggravate the problem of stigmatising drug users which will hamper the efforts of the community and government in reaching out to them for de-addiction and treatment. In case of any grievances against any law enforcement agency, he advised the public to first make an appeal with the DC office for rectification.
The DC then cited the Supreme Court judgement on July 17, 2018, in the Tehseen S. Poonawalla case.
“Law has to be regarded as the foundation of a civilised society… every citizen is entitled to enjoy the rights and interest bestowed under the constitutional and statutory law… the majesty of law cannot be sullied simply because an individual or a group generate the attitude that they have been empowered by the principles set out in law to take its enforcement into their own hands and gradually become law unto themselves and punish the violator on their own assumption and in the manner in which they deem fit. They forget that the administration of law is conferred on the law enforcing agencies and no one is allowed to take law into their own hands… just as one is entitled to fight for his rights in law, the other is entitled to be treated as innocent till he is found guilty after a fair trial. No act of a citizen is to be adjudged by any kind of community under the guise of protectors of law,” he quoted the apex court hearing.
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The fundamental right of citizens to life and liberty, enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution, he said, is sacrosanct for every citizen and should be protected.
“While the problem of drug abuse remains an acute challenge, we can win the battle only with the collective and cooperative approach of all the stakeholders within the boundaries of law. Any extreme measures outside such boundaries will not only make your organisation vulnerable to punitive action but also distract from the main adversary and harm the fight against drugs,” Ranjan added.
The officer warned the tribal bodies not to take law into their hands and sought positive and constructive cooperation of the people to win the war on drugs.
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