Night squads against drug abuse urged not to take law into hands

Ernakulam residents' associations form night squads to combat drug menace, advised not to intervene directly by EDRAAC.

With an increasing number of residents’ associations deploying night squads to combat the drug menace, the Ernakulam District Residents’ Associations’ Apex Council (EDRAAC) has issued guidelines to member associations, advising them not to encroach on the domain of law enforcement agencies or resort to physically assaulting suspects.

Four residents’ associations at Thykoodam near Vytilla have joined forces to form night squads that operate between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. The squads have been active for the past fortnight. Besides, a night rally against drugs is scheduled in the area on Thursday.

“We have clearly instructed the residents’ associations deploying such squads not to act impulsively, as members of the squads may end up facing cases if persons they detain on suspicion lodge police complaints against them. They have been advised to inform the police and not directly intervene. The practicality of such squad operations will be discussed at a major meeting of all stakeholders we are planning at Aluva bus stand on ways to counter the drug menace on April 5,” said P. Rangadasa Prabhu, president, EDRAAC.

The Thykoodam-based residents’ associations deploying night squads have been careful not to intervene or detain suspects but to pass on information about suspicious movements to the police in real time. “We have assigned two members to each road in our jurisdiction, and they, along with the other residents, alert us about the movement of suspicious persons in their areas through our WhatsApp group,” said Martin Payyappilly, president of Thykoodam Central Residents’ Association, one of the four associations involved in the night squad.

Sources at the Kochi City police’s narcotics cell said that random squad work would not effectively detect drug peddling and that it requires sustained surveillance. The public should pass information to law enforcement agencies rather than getting personally involved, as this could also put them at risk given the violent nature of those involved in the trade, added a senior official.