Pramesh S Jain
As part of a statewide crackdown on drug abuse among youth,the Karnataka State Police on Wednesday conducted large-scale drug screening across educational institutions in Vijayanagar Sub-Division under the West Division of the Bengaluru City Police, with 31 students testing positive for substance use.
The inspections were carried out under the “Sanmitra” initiative,a reformative programme introduced on the directions of the Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG & IGP), Karnataka, to build a drug-free society.
The drive was led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Yatish N, IPS.Police conducted N-MASS (Narcotics Monitoring,Assistance and Screening System) checks on March 4 in six educational institutions and two hostels after obtaining consent and no-objection certificates from the respective managements.
More than 1,200 students were subjected to urine sample collection,of which 585 samples were randomly tested. Officials confirmed that 31 samples returned positive results for drug consumption.
The operation was carried out with the support of doctors,technicians and staff from nearby hospitals, including Punya Hospital,Padmadevayya Hospital,KADE Hospital,Sharavathi Hospital,Sri Lakshmi Multi-Speciality Hospital and Kangaroo Care Hospital.
Police said students who tested positive would be provided counselling by mental health professionals and necessary medical support.Authorities assured that the identities and family details of those tested would be kept strictly confidential.
Officials stated that the“Sanmitra” initiative adopts a compassionate and reformative approach, focusing on guidance and rehabilitation rather than punitive action, with dedicated police personnel assigned to monitor and support individuals undergoing de-addiction.
