A lowly-paid Assam home guard, who became a hero after he refused a bribe from drug dealers and helped the police seize high-grade crystal methamphetamine worth more than ₹12 crore, has been appointed as a constable in the State police.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma handed him his appointment letter at a function marking International Drug Abuse Day on June 26.
Borsing Bey, a resident of central Assam’s Karbi Along district, had failed to get through to the police despite several attempts at cracking the exams. His integrity earned him the job within five days of becoming the hero of one of the largest drug hauls in the State.
On June 21, he helped the police in Karbi Anglong’s Dillai seize methamphetamine tablets from a Guwahati-bound bus. Three peddlers, including two women from Tamil Nadu, had offered him a huge bribe amount to let them go, police said.
“We know how much the home guards earn and the kind of life they lead. Frustrated at failing to clear interviews in the police department, Borsing Bey could easily have fallen prey to temptation. He did not and set an example of integrity and courage,” Dr. Sarma said.
The Chief Minister said the State government would consider formulating a policy to give out-of-turn promotions to lower-ranked police personnel for “exemplary” acts on duty.
He congratulated the police for a string of successes against drug traffickers. The police have seized narcotic substances worth ₹135 crore over the past 45 days.
“Unfortunately, many groups claiming to be armed revolutionaries are involved in drug smuggling. Taking advantage of our various weaknesses, some people have built an empire of drugs in the State,” the Chief Minister said.
He added that drug addiction had become a stark reality in Assam, a State that overlooked the menace as it was not a market earlier. “Assam used to be a conduit for drugs from Myanmar to elsewhere, but the narcotics gradually began to be offloaded here,” he said.
Dr. Sarma also asked the police to crack down on the kingpins of human trafficking, especially of women and children across the State.
