Leaders of various organizations expressing solidarity at a round table meeting organized by DYFI on the growing drug crisis among youth held in Vijayawada on Tuesday. | Photo credit: BY ARRANGEMENT
Leaders of various student unions, teachers’ federations and civil society organizations on Tuesday raised concerns over the continued menace of drugs and ganja and called for stronger and more effective measures to curb proliferation, especially near educational institutions.
Addressing a round table meeting organized by the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) in Vijayawada, representatives of various organizations stressed the need for coordinated efforts to curb the rapid rise of the menace and secure the future of the youth in the state.
Federation State Secretary G. Ramanna, Students Federation of India (SFI) State President K. Prasanna Kumar, All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) State President Sridevi, former MLC and Jana Vignana Vedika State President KS Lakshmana Rao and representatives of various other organizations addressed the meeting.
Stating that consumption of drugs and ganja has reached alarming levels across the state in recent times, they said the youths are addicted and ruining their lives. Due to the influence of narcotics, criminal tendencies have increased among the youth, especially among teenagers, they said, citing the study.
“Drugs are openly sold near schools, colleges, technical colleges, medical colleges and universities in the form of chocolates, biscuits and tablets, targeting students for profit. The ganja mafia is also using some unemployed youths for their activities,” the federation leaders said.
Citing the case of a Penchalayya youth leader in Nellore two months ago who was brutally murdered for fighting the ganja mafia, they said that within a month of the incident, a 12-year-old girl from Kavali in Nellore district was allegedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted by a similar gang on her way to school. “She fought for her life in the hospital for a week before she succumbed,” the leaders said, adding that a seven-year-old child was killed in a gruesome manner in Madanapalle, according to media reports. According to them, an excise police constable named Soumya was deliberately run over and brutally killed in Nizamabad.
Student leaders cited recent reports released by Eagle wing which they said raised serious concerns. The registration of 1,836 cases in a single year reflects the seriousness of the situation, they added.
Seeking strict and impartial enforcement of laws to eradicate the drug mafia, they said special monitoring and awareness programs must be conducted near educational institutions, adding that rehabilitation and de-addiction centers must be strengthened.
They also urged the political leaders to expel those involved in the mafia from their respective parties and take strict action against them. In addition, they also sought to increase the number of rehabilitation and rehab centers, the allocation and use of adequate funds, and measures to provide alternative employment opportunities for youth involved in drug trafficking.
Published – March 3, 2026 10:30 PM IST
