Bhopal/Ujjain, June 17 (IANS) The registration of an FIR against more than 90 Madhya Pradesh police personnel, including two former station house officers (SHOs), in connection with a controversial drug seizure case has sparked a political row in the state, with the opposition Congress targeting the BJP government over its handling of narcotics-related crimes.

Former Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Wednesday said the development raised serious concerns about law and order and the functioning of the police force in Madhya Pradesh.

“Law and order has completely collapsed in Madhya Pradesh. The state is increasingly becoming a hub for narcotics manufacturing and trafficking. The very police force responsible for curbing this menace is itself implicated in fraudulent activities,” Nath said.

Kamal Nath, one of the seniormost MLAs from Chhindwara in the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, alleged that the BJP government had failed to dismantle drug networks operating in the state and was instead allowing innocent people to be implicated.

“This highlights the fact that the BJP government is failing to dismantle drug rackets or rein in corrupt officials. Innocent people are being framed in narcotics trafficking cases, while the actual smugglers continue to operate their illicit trade,” he said in a statement.

The controversy stems from an operation carried out on January 28 this year by Agar Malwa police in Ghatakhedi village of Rajasthan’s Jhalawar district, which borders Madhya Pradesh.

At the time, police had claimed to have busted an MD drug manufacturing unit and seized narcotics, chemicals and machinery worth around Rs 5 crore.

The operation was projected as a major success in the state’s anti-drug campaign, and two persons were arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

However, family members of the accused and a local resident, Hamid Khan, later approached the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Chaumahla, alleging that the raid was fabricated and that legal procedures had not been followed.

They also claimed that a large police team had taken several family members away from the village during the operation.

The court subsequently ordered an inquiry by the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Jhalawar.

After examining the inquiry report and evidence, the court found prima facie grounds for the registration of a criminal case and directed Rajasthan Police to act.

Following the order, Dag police station in Jhalawar district registered an FIR against former Agar Kotwali SHOs Shashi Upadhyay and Roop Singh Rajput, police personnel Rakhi Gurjar, three other named persons and nearly 90 unidentified police personnel.

The FIR has been registered under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including sections related to intimidation, abuse of official position, misconduct and tampering with evidence.

The development is significant, as it is rare for such a large number of police personnel from one state to face criminal proceedings in another state following a court-directed inquiry.

The issue is expected to further intensify the political confrontation between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress in Madhya Pradesh.

–IANS

pd/pgh