Moga, Punjab (June 12, 2014): Alleging harassment by cops of Punjab police on the pretext of habit forming drugs under the ongoing campaign against drugs in the state, over 31,000 chemist and drug shops in Punjab remained shut.
After drug racket in Punjab remained one of the major issues in Lok Sabha polls, the SAD-BJP led state government launched a major state-wide crackdown on drug peddlers to curb drug menace in the state.
Punjab Chemists Association had given a call to shut down medical shops in order to express their anger against the state police for allegedly raiding their shops and arresting shop owners under the garb of selling narcotic drugs.
“Except in hospitals, all chemist shops in Punjab are closed today,” Punjab Chemists Association president Surjit Mehta claimed. He said 31,470 drug shops are association’s members across the state.
“However, we have allowed shops in hospitals to continue with their operations so that patients do not suffer,” he said.
Mehta added that the association members had even raised the matter with state health minister Surjit Kumar Jyani who had assured them of taking up the issue with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.
“If within next 10 days, the state government will not stop police from harassing us, we will start chain hunger strike in front of Punjab CM’s house,” Mehta said.