H I N D U STA N T I M E S , M U M B A I
T U E S DAY, A U G U ST 1 1 , 2 0 0 9 | metro | 07
ONE KILLED IN
POLICE FIRING
IN DHULE
No drug? Pass me sleeping pills
Zeeshan Shaikh
■ [Link]@[Link]
ADDICTS unable to get their daily fix resort to prescription drugs like cough syrups that give them a high, say experts
MUMBAI: One person was killed
and two injured in police firing drugs
I had three cases of cough
syrup. One of them would gulp FIRST-PERSON ACCOUNTS
& the city
in Dhule after a delegation led three bottles right at the phar-
( )
by Shiv Sena’s former MLA
Anant Tare turned violent on
macist, in a frenzy.”
According to Dr Nair, pre-
A teen addicted on anti-depressants went up.
After attempts at rehab, he is
Monday.
Tare was leading a delegation
scription drugs are usually sec-
ondary addictions, which sur-
Those who have money to snakebites still addicted. He resorted to
crime to fund his addiction and
of the Koli Samaj Sangh, a body face when dependency on a nar-
do brown sugar until the NAVEEN (17) has several cases of robbery
of the Koli community, to the cotic drug cannot be met. Most money runs out. Others Naveen, a Class 12 student against him.
district collector’s office to sub-
mit a memorandum on the
addicts, thus, end up getting
hooked to multiple substances.
inhale whitener. Many children studying in Turkey, came to
NARC during holidays with an
community’s demands.
PART-2 “We had a young brown from Dharavi are addicted addiction to snakebites. He was Hooked to pharma
Dhule collector G.B. Maware sugar addict who got a job in to whitener. highly intoxicated and exhibit-
drugs like his uncle
was absent so they were asked Dubai after rehabilitation. In A counsellor from Kripa ed unusual withdrawal symp-
to submit it to resident collec- Karthik Balasubramanian Dubai, where anti-narcotic laws Foundation toms. He left five days later, GULSHAN (20)
tor P.B. Waghmode. ■ htmetro@[Link] are very strict, he started using unable to stand the withdrawals,
Tare and the other members sedatives to satisfy his cravings said Dr Shanti Nair. Gulshan came to NARC in May
took offence against his move MUMBAI: What do addicts do and went back to brown sugar this year as he was addicted to
to accept the memorandum when they cannot get their daily immediately after landing in cough syrup and sedatives. His
while being seated. fix of brown sugar? India,” Dr Nair said. Popping pills to be uncle was a medical represen-
After a heated exchange, del-
egation members broke the
They go for prescription
drugs — sleeping pills or cough
Executive Director of NARC,
Shobhana Mannadiar, narrat- Substance abuse is not some- in abundance at railway stations. “Those who have money do awake for studies tative and that gave him access
to several sedatives. His uncle
office furniture. syrups easily available in med- ed the case of a 15-year-old boy thing that affects only the youth “There was a nine-year-old brown sugar till they run out of KIRAN (23) is also addicted. Gulshan’s moth-
Police Inspector M.B. Patil icine boxes at home. who took 150 tablets of a pop- from middle- or upper middle- here for rehab just a few days money. Those who don’t have er managed to separate him
had to fire in the air to bring the Prescription drugs, like sleep- ular anti-diarrhoea pill every class families. Slum and street ago. He kept rubbing his nose the money inhale whitener. Many Kiran is addicted to sedatives from his uncle and brought him
situation under control. ing pills that are consumed to day. The pill contains a com- children, who have no access to with his fingertips like he would children from Dharavi are and anti-depressants since he for rehab. But he was unable to
But Tare staged an impromp- induce sleep, produce strong pound chemically related to the real thing, use whatever they when he sniffed whitener,” said addicted to whitener. It is defi- was 16. A bright student, he did- stick through the rigours of
tu protest outside the collector’s hallucinatory effects when one pethidine, a narcotic. can lay their hands on. Most Alan John Dennis, a counsellor nitely a rising trend,” said a coun- n’t want to sleep at night rehabilitation and is still mis-
office. When the police went to tries to resist the urge to sleep However, none of this is as popular among them are at NARC. “The action had sellor from Kripa Foundation, because he wanted to study for using pharmaceutical drugs.
arrest him, Tare’s supporters despite consuming the pills. harrowing as the recent rise in whiteners, which are available become a reflex for him.” Bandra, requesting anonymity. his SSC exam and started tak- Repeated attempts by NARC
turned violent and the police “Taken in excessive quanti- addiction to bites of non-ven- ing anti-depressants that would to contact the family have
had to open fire.
Bhatuk Kunwar (33), a resi-
ties, it can result in euphoric
sensations similar to those pro-
omous snakes among youth.
“Snakebite purveyors are high-
HELP IS AT HAND help him stay awake. He got 75
per cent marks, but got addict-
proved futile.
(Names changed to protect
dent of Nandurbar district, was duced by morphine,” said Dr ly secretive. We do not know Kripa Foundation General helplines NARC, Sankalp Rehabilitation ed to the pills. His dependence identities) (Source: NARC)
killed and two others were Shanti Nair of National how the bite is administered. 26433027/ Andheri (W)
24-hour helpline Trust, Grant Road (E)
injured. The Dhule police have Addiction Research Centre The few who have come here TOMORROW: Mumbai lacks government-funded drug
arrested Tare and 150 others. (NARC). “Cough syrup cases are tight-lipped about its 26405411 26429158 26798322 23803550 rehabilitation centre for women addicts
are on the rise. Just last month effects,” said Mannadiar.
E L ECT I O N T U S S L E
Congress wants
more seats for
Assembly polls
HT Correspondent
■ htmetro@[Link]
MUMBAI: It’s happening again —
that pre-poll unfriendly tug-of-
war between friends.
The Maharashtra Pradesh
( )
Congress Committee (MPCC),
the party’s state unit, is in no
mood to concede an inch to the
Nationalist Congress Party Delimitation has changed
(NCP) when both parties decide
to forge an alliance for the forth-
so many constituencies.
coming state Assembly elections. Now, the number of seats
MPCC President Manikrao we want to contest will
Thakare said the party did not
approve of the 2004 seat-shar- also increase.
ing formula any longer. MANIKRAO THAKARE
“Delimitation has changed so MPCC president
many constituencies. Now, the
number of seats we want to con-
test will also increase.” ing the formula, it is keen on
In 2004, the Congress and proving that it has better
its associates contested 166 prospects after a thumping win
seats while the NCP and its (17 seats) in the Lok Sabha polls.
associates fielded 122. However, The NCP won just eight.
the NCP emerged as the largest “Ground realities have
single party, followed closely by changed. Our leader and work-
the Congress. The NCP lagged ers want the high command to
behind after a year when ex- take a quick decision (on pact
Sainik Narayan Rane got him- with NCP) so that they can start
self and his supporters elected campaigning,” Thakare told the
on Congress tickets. media after meeting some 500
The NCP is not willing to dis- block presidents. Chief Minister
turb the formula. But for the Ashok Chavan also attended
Congress, other than rework- the meeting.
Jewellery worth Rs 1.5 lakh
missing from actress’ bag
VALUABLES STOLEN from check-in
baggage from Air India flight to Kochi
Soubhik Mitra
■ [Link]@[Link]
MUMBAI: Model-actress Sheetal
Menon was in for a rude shock
when she opened her bags after
landing in Kochi from an Air
India Express flight on
August 8.
Her jewellery worth Rs 1.5
lakh from her baggage was
missing, but the imitation jew-
ellery was left untouched.
Moreover, her baggage was
sealed when she collected it at
the Kochi airport. ■ Model Sheetal Menon alleged
“It appeared that someone that the police station near
carefully removed the jewellery Kochi airport didn’t register
because the artificial stuff was her complaint. HT FILE PHOTO
untouched,” said Menon, who
had debuted in Bhram. monitors the baggage as it
She alleged that the police moves through the conveyor
station close to the Kochi air- belt to the aircraft belly.
port did not register her com- In February, the Crime
plaint. Branch busted a baggage theft
“They claimed that act hap- racket at the city airport and
pened in Mumbai so the com- arrested four loaders working
plaint should be registered with ground handling agency
here,” Menon said. Cambatta Aviation for stealing
On Monday, Menon returned jewellery, branded wristwatches
to Mumbai and filed a com- and other expensive items from
plaint at the Sahar police sta- the baggage.
tion after meeting Additional Investigations revealed that
Commissioner of Police the group were involved in
Amitabh Gupta. thefts worth Rs 11 lakh in 60
Senior Inspector, Dilip Patil, cases since 2006.
of the Sahar police station, said: Last year, Mumbai stood sec-
“We are taking cognisance of ond in the number of airport
the case.” thefts reported by the civil avi-
Though there are closed-cir- ation ministry — 37 cases of
cuit television cameras installed theft. Delhi airport topped the
in Mumbai airport, nobody list with 78 cases of theft.
