PANJIM: The fear amidst the Opposition of increasing drug abuse among students could be turning real as a fresh case involving an undergraduate student has come to the fore.
Rishabkumar Jha, 21, driving a car with tinted glasses on the Goa University to Dona Paula road, was stopped for a traffic violation, and while paying the penalty police searched his car due to his suspicious behaviour and unearthed a drugs consignment hidden in a bag.
“Our personnel stopped the car for traffic violation. He was issued a challan for tinted glass, but the student was not willing to step out of his car or respond to our team’s queries. We then searched his car and found a bag containing suspected ganja,” Agassaim Police said.
The Rs 3,000 worth 18gms of ganja has been sent for forensic examination, while the investigation team is also tracking the source of drugs.
Although released on conditional bail, the officer said the youth will be summoned for questioning during the course of investigation. The youth, originally from Kolkatta, and resident of Goa is a BBA student at a reputed college in Cujira Complex. His family lives in Porvorim.
Opposition leaders, particularly senior Congress leader Pratapsingh Rane, have raised concerns of drug abuse among students. A number of students have in the past been caught with drugs.
Two years ago, Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights had expressed apprehensions on the increasing incidents of students linked to the drugs menace.
In a draft report on ‘Mental Health Policy for Children & Adolescents for the State of Goa,’ the Commission had observed an increasing trend of cannabis use in private as well as government schools and indulgence of college students in Goa in the offence.
RECENT CASES
– February 2018: Crime
Branch team arrested a third year BCom student of PES College at
Farmagudi, with 100 gms ganja worth Rs 20,000. He was caught near his home
village at Raia. The arrest incidentally came a day after then Chief Minister (late)
Manohar Parrikar made a statement that there was no much proliferation of drugs
in colleges
– September 2016: Two
Goa Engineering College students arrested in a joint raid by Crime Branch and Anti-Narcotics Cell of Goa Police. The students
were found in possession of marijuana (ganja). The two were
roommates and residents of the college hostel
