Police protection for Drug Regulators, Inspectors, recommends CDSCO committee

New Delhi: Taking cognizance of the grave concern of providing security and protection to Drug inspectors from threats, the Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC) of CDSCO has recently suggested that Drug Control Department of every State should be empowered with the police force of their respective state.

The CDSCO committee directed to ensure that in every district at least one police officer is assigned for support in regulatory work related to Drugs and Cosmetics Act and other Act being enforced by State Drugs Control authorities.

The suggestion came after going through a proposal to provide security measures to the drug regulators engaged in the enforcement activities of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and related rules framed.

DCC apprised that there are repeated cases in the news where intimidation, threat, looting and lynching with the drugs regulators have come to the knowledge. In one of the recent case, one officer of the FDA-Punjab was killed in the office due to her actions against the unaccounted and unauthorised sale of habit-forming drugs by a chemist.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that in an appalling incident, a woman officer, posted as Zonal Licensing Authority with the Drug and Food Chemical Laboratory in the state was brutally murdered by a Chemist who took revenge on the officer for cancelling his Chemist License. Officer Neha Shorie, paid the price of her life for complying by her duty as she had cancelled the licence of a chemist shop in 2009. This led to the tragic incident wherein she was shot dead point-blank by the Chemist who later pumped a bullet into himself.

Also Read: Shocking: Woman health officer shot dead for Cancelling Chemist Licence

"All such incidences are making it unsafe to work individually by the regulators without adequate protection," the DCC was informed

DCC deliberated the matter and suggested that Drug Control department of every state should be empowered with the police force of their respective state in line with Andhra Pradesh, Maharastra, Haryana etc. to protect the drug regulators from the threats.

Accordingly, Drug Controllers may request their respective State Authorities for making such an arrangement or ensure that in every district at least one police officer is assigned for support in regulatory work related to Drugs and Cosmetics Act and other Act being enforced by State Drugs Control authorities.