Where is the "drugs uproar of media" against Adani?

On September 13, 2021 around 3,000 kilograms of heroin was seized from two containers at Gujarat's Mundra port, run by the Adani Group.

On 26th May 2022 The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized another 56 kg of cocaine, estimated to be worth around Rs 500 crore, from a container near the Mundra port in Gujarat Kutch district (owned by Adani groups), an official said on Thursday.

on 13th July 2022 another 75.3 kg of heroin estimated to be worth ₹ 376.5 crores from a container near the Mundra port in Kutch district was seized.

There were few who questioned the Adani groups on various platforms and requested government to take action against them.

Adani Group officially sidelined all the allegations made by terming them as baseless, motivated, malicious and false propaganda.  Like always they have taken recourse to the fact that "it was only the port operator and has no authority to check shipments arriving at the port".

At this point, it is important to take a look at Section 8 of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 

"No person shall produce, manufacture, possess, sell, purchase, transport, warehouse, use, consume, import inter-State, export inter-State, import into India or tranship or export from India any narcotic 'drug or psychotropic substance, except for medical or scientific purposes"

In the explanatory appended, the Act states that, “There need be no physical connection between the goods and the person charged. A man may be miles and miles away from the goods and yet if proof is available that he had an interest in or was concerned in illegal importation of goods he would be guilty of the offence.”

Under this law, it was incumbent upon the investigative agency to first and foremost question the Adanis. But the case was almost immediately transferred to a “caged parrot” of this Government – the National Investigations Agency (NIA) – whose record in many cases is not without blemish. It is going all around the country, from Andhra Pradesh to Delhi to J&K, but won’t dare ask a single question from Gautam Adani who is answerable under the law, leaving the establishment of any guilt to the courts.

Opposition once raised a concern with respect to the consignment but was not given wide media publicity.

Contrasting case of Aryan Khan

A few months back all the mainstream media houses were busy running 24 hours coverage on Aryan Khan (Son of Shahrukh Khan).

It may be recalled that Aryan was about to board a cruise ship on way to Goa along with his friend Arbaaz when an NCB team, accompanied by Gosavi and Bhanushali, descended upon the spot and dragged Aryan, Arbaaz, Munmun and five others, interring them first at the NCB office and then formally arresting them.

The NDPS Act prescribes different punishments to those who are mere consumers of drugs and other substances like heroin in this case. And in this case, as is now widely known, neither was any drug found on Aryan’s person nor was he medically examined to prove that he was under the influence of any drug as accepted by the prosecuting team as well.

The possibility of the fact that, the whole episode was an attempt to divert attention from the seizure by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) of nearly 3000 kilograms of heroin at Adani ports, cannot be ruled out.

There arise so many questions which need to be answered.

The unanswered questions are: Can any port allow anything to be imported through them? Why the machinery of the Central government did not check the entry of contraband drugs through these ports? It also shows that it is possible for black listing of the containers from some countries.

But unfortunately, our media will be busy conducting polarising debates, the masses will be befooled by communal messages on social media, the youth is busy finding jobs and the journalist asking these questions will be put behind the bar.

We all know answer to all these questions which is power politics, money greed, distraction and communalism for vote banks.