Vizag Police Commissioner Denies Obstructing CBI
Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam commissioner of police Dr. A. Ravi Shankar has refuted claims that state officials caused procedural delays when the Centre Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seized drugs at Visakhapatnam Container Terminal.
Speaking to reporters in Visakhapatnam on Friday, he maintained that the terminology used by CBI in its report is technical, not an accusation of interference. Incidentally, CBI’s FIR report had mentioned that presence of government officials and port employees during their operation had caused delays.
The commissioner said, “(With the elections on) we are all on deputation to the Election Commission of India. We have no political pressure or any leanings of any sort. It is important to clarify that Visakhapatnam port falls outside our jurisdiction, as it is a private port owned by J.M. Bakshi. CBI DSP initially requested our assistance with the dog squad. However, their plans changed. They ultimately decided not to utilise our resource. CBI said they would test (the seized material) at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL). Once they informed us of this, we were no longer required on-site,” Ravi Shankar maintained.
He clarified that CBI has by itself not raised any concerns with Andhra Pradesh officials in this matter.
The commissioner said Vizag police are fighting hard to make the city free from drug menace. He explained that stringent measures have been taken to monitor and suppress drug consumption. Reports labelled Visakhapatnam as a hub of drugs, particularly ganja. They have taken comprehensive measures to deter ganja consumption by combating cultivation and smuggling during the past five years.
On its part, Ravi Shankar said, state government facilitated ganja cultivators in transiting to alternative crops. He underlined that following their efforts, cultivation and smuggling of ganja have now shifted to border areas and deep forests of Malkangiri, Koraput and Jaipur in Odisha.
The commissioner said, “Our findings have been substantiated by interrogation reports. These indicate consignments originate from Odisha. Visakhapatnam serves merely as a transit point, due to its convenient railway junction. We are collaborating with railway officials and Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB), and actively monitoring the situation," he added.