The police team was in Chogowan to conduct a drug bust (Representative Image) | Photo Credit: BCCL

Key Highlights Punjab Police have booked the assailants on charges of attempt to murder The police team was in Chogowan to conduct a drug bust Police officers said that the assailants even snatched an inspector's service weapon

Chandigarh: A team of officers with Punjab Police were brutally thrashed by locals in Amritsar during a drug raid in the city. Part of the assault, which took place on Friday, was caught on camera. A case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against the assailants and a police investigation into the matter is underway.

Going by inputs, a team of officers led by sub-inspector Baldev Singh arrived at a house in Amritsar's Chogawan area to bust an alleged drug racket. However, they were confronted by family members of the alleged kingpin when they tried to search the premises. In a video of the incident, at least a dozen people can be seen charging at the policemen with sticks and other weapons.

The assailants even snatched the service weapon of sub-inspector Singh, a senior police officer told mediapersons on Saturday. Following the incident, senior police officer SS Parmar and SSP Amritsar (rural) Vikramjeet Duggal reached the spot along with another police team to rescue the officers and diffuse the tension. A case of attempt to murder was then registered against some of the assailants. On Saturday, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ordered the dismissal of three policemen and a home guard for failing to intervene inspector Baldev Singh during the assault. Deputy General of Police Dinkar Gupta has also ordered an inquiry into the police party which had accompanied the SI.

In recent months, Punjab Police have made several considerable drug busts across the state. It is important to note that personnel put their lives in danger during every single drug raid. However, they seldom get the credit they deserve for fighting the drug menace on the frontlines.

Earlier this year, the state police and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) busted an international drug racket operating between Punjab and Canada. As a result, drugs valued at a staggering ₹2 crore were seized. An official with the drug enforcement agency told media outlets that this was the first-ever recovery of high-quality cocaine in Punjab's Jalandhar district.

With concerned authorities coming down on the heroin supply in Punjab with an iron fist, a large number of addicts in the state have turned to morphine. Ground reports from earlier this year revealed that 78 of 134 deaths reported from across the state in the past 23 months, were drug-related. The most number of these deaths came to light from Amritsar, followed by Hoshiarpur and Ludhiana.

The reports also stated that almost all of those who died due to drug-related reasons, were between the ages of 18 to 25 years. The alarming rate at which drug abuse has shackled the young in Punjab is exactly why the state police must be supplied with all the resources they need to fight this battle against drugs.