16 FIRs in Single Day: Anantnag Police Intensify Crackdown on Narco Cultivation
Arif Rashid
Anantnag, April 24: In a major offensive against illegal narcotic cultivation, Anantnag Police on Thursday registered 16 FIRs in a single day and destroyed illegal poppy cultivation spread over nearly 150 marlas of land in a district-wide crackdown.
According to officials, the action was launched as part of the ongoing campaign against drug cultivation and trafficking in the district.
Acting on reliable information, Police Post Sangam detected illegal cultivation of opium poppy at the residence of Bashir Ahmad Wani of Check Panjpora. During the search, police found poppy plants growing inside the residential compound, while dried poppy straw (Fukki) was also recovered from within the house.
In this connection, FIR No. 108/2026 under relevant sections of the NDPS Act was registered at Police Station Bijbehara, and further investigation has been taken up.
In another operation, Police Station Kokernag, in coordination with officials from the Revenue and Agriculture Departments, conducted a joint raid in Hargam Sagam, where two persons were found cultivating poppy on around two marlas of land. The illegal crop was destroyed on the spot and FIR No. 29/2026 under the NDPS Act was registered.
Similarly, Police Station Utrasoo, along with the Executive Magistrate and Agriculture Department, destroyed illegal poppy cultivation in Shergund village, leading to registration of FIR No. 41/2026.
Meanwhile, Police Station Bijbehara registered four separate FIRs (104, 105, 106 and 107/2026) under relevant provisions of the NDPS Act following reports of illegal cultivation of poppy straw and cannabis in the Verri area.
In a major operation, Police Station Srigufwara, along with Revenue and Agriculture officials, carried out raids in Khiram, Shirhama and Nowshera villages, where illegal poppy cultivation spread over a significant area was detected and destroyed. Nine FIRs were registered in connection with the operation.
With a total of 16 FIRs registered in one day, Anantnag Police described the action as a strong message against those involved in narco cultivation.
Police reiterated their commitment to eradicate the menace of drugs and appealed to the public to cooperate with law enforcement agencies by sharing information regarding illegal cultivation or narcotics-related activities.
