Alappuzha(Kerala) | Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Friday said that meetings in connection with the government's anti-drug drive, Operation Toofan, cannot be convened without informing the police or by including criminals.
Chennithala made the statement with reference to a recent meeting convened by senior Congress leader and Kannur MP K Sudhakaran under the banner of the anti-drug drive and in which persons allegedly involved in various criminal cases had participated.
"Meetings under the banner of Operation Toofan involving goondas are highly unacceptable. It will never be accepted. Any meeting under the operation has to be held after informing the police," the minister said.
He also said that while he has not spoken to Sudhakaran in connection with the matter, he does not believe the Kannur MP was aware what kind of meeting was being organised.
"I do not think he would have gone if he knew. He probably was not aware. Someone took him there," Chennithala told a TV channel here.
According to a section of the media, the meeting allegedly convened by Sudhakaran included persons facing criminal cases and known gang leaders, who were asked to cooperate with the government's anti-drug campaign.
Sudhakaran has not responded to the controversy so far.
Regarding the operation, he told another TV channel that it has made significant progress with the seizure of over Rs 60 crore of banned narcotics by the police within just one month of its launch.
He also said that the people have now taken up the cause and it was no longer just the government initiative and the police who were working on eradicating drug use from the state.
The minister urged everyone involved in drug trafficking and its use to stop their activities or face stringent action from the police.
Operation Toofan is the Kerala government's statewide anti-narcotics campaign led by the Home Department and Kerala Police to crack down on drug trafficking and substance abuse through coordinated enforcement and awareness programmes
