Police Raid Notorious Ghuntighar Drug Spot Again, Detain 3; Joint Drive a Day Earlier Caught 15

Police have carried out another anti-drug raid in the Ghuntighar area beside the Dayaganj rail crossing in the capital. Three people were detained in Tuesday's operation. The area recently came into nationwide discussion after former state minister Ishraq Hossain's armed drive there and his resignation.

Moniruzzaman, officer-in-charge of Gendaria Police Station, said the raid was conducted after receiving reports of open drug selling and use, and three people were detained and taken to the police station. All of those detained are drug users. Cannabis and various drug-use paraphernalia were recovered from them.

According to eyewitnesses and police sources, when the raid began, the people present tried to run away. Many escaped by climbing over walls. Police later detained three people from the area and took them away.

OC Moniruzzaman said raids are conducted regularly at Ghuntighar. But floating drug sellers and users mostly come here, so the spot cannot be completely eliminated. He said police are trying to find a permanent solution.

Just a day earlier, on Monday afternoon, the Special Response Battalion (SRB) and the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) carried out a joint raid at the same spot. Fifteen people were detained in that operation.

Those detained in Monday's raid were later sentenced through a mobile court. At the same time, the temporary paper shelters and huts used for drug use were demolished.

These back-to-back raids over two days show that law enforcement agencies are now conducting intensified operations to free Ghuntighar from drugs. But the OC's own remarks make it clear that the task is not easy, as floating sellers and users keep coming.

Ghuntighar came into discussion last Saturday, October 17. That day, then state minister for Liberation War Affairs Ishraq Hossain faced criticism after going to the same spot with a weapon in hand to conduct an anti-drug drive.

Following that incident, Ishraq Hossain resigned from his post as state minister. As a result, every raid at Ghuntighar is now seen not merely as an anti-drug operation but as a politically significant event as well.

Local residents have long complained that this area beside the Dayaganj rail crossing had become a known spot for open drug selling and use. According to police, regular raids have been conducted here, but a permanent solution has yet to be found.

Legal proceedings are under way against the three people detained in Tuesday's raid. As those detained are drug users, the next steps regarding them will be taken in accordance with the law.

The question now is how long this continuity of raids can be maintained and whether Ghuntighar can truly be freed from drugs. Police speak of a permanent solution, but the outline of that solution is not yet clear.

Local residents are now watching the law enforcement agencies' next operations and the initiatives of the local administration.