Palamu police have given a serious jolt to the poppy cultivation here. In around 1 month of its onslaught against the poppy cultivation police in this district have destroyed poppy coming up in 117 acres.
SP Palamu Reeshma Ramesan said "We have destroyed poppy cultivation in 111 acres alone under the Manatu police station limits in around a month beginning December last."
She said "Manatu has a close proximity to Chatra district and via Chatra it is to Gaya. The proliferation of the poppy in Manatu is because of the market close to it."
A couple of years ago Kekargarh under the Panki police station limits was the devil patch of the poppy cultivation.
Now, it's a paradigm shift from Panki to Manatu.
SP added "Police destroy this crop with tractors. First, how we come across it. During the area domination our police notice this crop. Then we take the details of the topography and the location first to come the next day with a heavy vehicle as during area domination we don't take a tractor with us to destroy the crop."
"Second is we get tip off about it and on proper veracity of the tip off we move in with tractor and destroy the crop" she reiterated.
Poppy cultivation is destroyed when it is at least 2 feet above the ground.
Reeshma Ramesan said "If the poppy remains in its very nascent stage then our police wait for it to grow somewhat as then it is easier to destroy it with the tractor."
She even used her phalange of the finger to show that a proximal phalange length of the poppy cultivation is not worth battering beneath the huge tyres of the tractors as these may spring up again.
SP said there were 12 episodes of raids against poppy cultivation in around a month.
9 raids out of 12 were conducted alone under the Manatu police station limits.
Panki, Naudeeha Bazaar and Pipra police station limits had 1 episode each of the raids on the poppy cultivation.
Poppy cultivation is done on gair majarua land and forest land close to the water source.
On being asked if the forest department shows the same concern or intensity of destroying poppy cultivation SP said "I will tell you I gave them a posse of police force for their raid in Panki police station limits. This department has a serious crunch of human resources."
Poppy cultivation is a kind of narco extremism. It is grown under the patronage of the extremists.
There was a long period here in Palamu when the Maoists used to hold Jan Adalats in the interiors here but in none of these Jan Adalats, the Maoists had ever punished or penalised any of the poppy cultivators.
The Maoists used to beat up cattle thieves, goat thieves and boys and girls falling in love breaking caste lines etc but never they beat up any poppy cultivator.
Extremists have overt or covert support to the poppy growers.
SP Reeshma Ramesan said "Every place in a district has its own economy. This economy depends on the demand. Harihurganj police station limits are close to Bihar where there is a prohibition. Hence in Harihurganj it's the economy of illicit wine. Manatu police station limits is close to Chatra and Gaya in Bihar and here it's the economy of the poppy cultivation which has a big market here.``