By TC News Desk
Agartala, 11th November 2025: A massive anti-ganja operation led by the Bishalgarh Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), IPS Bikash Senthia, sent shockwaves among illegal cannabis cultivators in the Banshibari area under Bishalgarh police station on Tuesday morning.
Every year, ganja cultivators in the forest land under the jurisdiction of the Forest Department in Banshibari area grow cannabis plants despite repeated police crackdowns. This year was no exception, as the cultivators, ignoring police warnings, had once again nurtured large plantations of ganja.
To curb the illegal activity, SDPO Bikash Senthia launched a coordinated operation at around 6 a.m. on Monday. The drive involved teams from Bishalgarh Police Station led by OC Bijoy Das, along with TSR, BSF, CRPF, personnel from the Charilam Forest Department, and women TSR personnel from the 14th Battalion.
The joint forces destroyed approximately 55,000 ganja plants spread across 25 plots during the six-hour-long operation that continued till noon. The cultivators, reportedly watching from nearby forested areas, witnessed their crops being uprooted and burnt.
Interestingly, while the operation covered areas bordering both Bishalgarh and Kalamchaura police stations, locals alleged that unlike Bishalgarh police, the Kalamchaura police have consistently refrained from participating in anti-ganja drives—reportedly due to influence and monetary inducements from cultivators. This, they claimed, has allowed illegal ganja farming to continue unchecked in that region.
Speaking to the media after the operation, SDPO Bikash Senthia said that several other areas under his jurisdiction have also been identified where illegal cannabis plantations exist. “All such plantations will be destroyed in due course. No one involved in this illegal activity will be spared,” he asserted.
Tuesday’s large-scale crackdown has instilled fear among ganja cultivators across the subdivision and reinforced the administration’s commitment to support the state government’s campaign for a drug-free society.
