Agartala: Jan 20. In a major push towards building a drug-free Tripura, a joint force comprising 372 personnel on Tuesday carried out a large-scale anti-narcotics operation in the forest areas under Jatrapur police station, destroying more than four lakh mature cannabis plants by cutting and burning them.
The operation marked the 19th such drive this season and was conducted smoothly despite attempts by cannabis cultivators to obstruct the movement of security forces by blocking roads with felled trees. The personnel cleared the roads using a JCB and continued the operation without interruption.
The coordinated crackdown began around 11 am, though deployment started early in the morning, with forces brought in from different parts of Sonamura subdivision and even Sepahijala district. The heavy presence of security personnel turned the Jatrapur police station and Kathalia commercial area into a hub of activity, drawing large crowds of curious onlookers.
The force was divided into four teams, which moved nearly two kilometres eastward along a one-way road before entering the forest areas near Thali Bari ADC Village for intensive search and destruction. The operation continued for nearly five hours.
The drive was led by SDPO Sashimohan Debbarma and senior officials from Sepahijala district, with participation from five companies of BSF, two battalions of TSR, officers from Jatrapur police station, including OC Siti Kantha Bardhan, along with police officers and constables. Both male and female personnel were part of the operation.
Meanwhile, resentment has reportedly grown among cannabis cultivators, as the destroyed plants were close to harvest and were expected to be brought to their homes within days. SDPO Sashimohan Debbarma stated that such operations will continue if necessary, reaffirming the administration’s zero-tolerance stance against illegal cannabis cultivation.
