Drug menace: Don't allow state to become 'Udta Karnataka', BJP tells govt

BJP legislator Lahar Singh on Friday rued the growing narcotics mafia in Bengaluru and said the state government should immediately crack down on the menace.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Singh who has been pursuing the issue for some years now, said even children as young as 11 and 12 years are getting exposed and addicted to narcotics like ganja in Bengaluru.

Singh said a recent Nimhans report stated that as many as five to six children are referred to their de-addiction clinic every week. "We cannot allow our state to become Udta Karnataka," he said drawing a parallel with the 2016 Hindi film 'Udta Punjab' that revolves around the drug abuse by the youth population."

Singh said the recent assault by Congress MLA N A Haris' son Mohammed Haris Nalapad on Vidwat at U B City could be under the influence of ganja. "The brutality and mercilessness with which the assault was carried out is an indication it took place under the influence of narcotics".

Narcotic substances are being sold near U B City 

at several places and he (Singh) had brought it to the notice of the police, the BJP MLC said.

Singh said as a legislator he had raised the narcotics issue several times in the Legislative Council but there had been no response from the state government.