Par condemns BJP activist's bounty offer for Mamata's head

April 12, 2017

New Delhi, Apr 12: Parliament today strongly condemned a statement by a BJP youth wing leader announcing a Rs 11 lakh bounty to anyone who beheads West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, with the Centre saying the state government was "free to take legal action" against him.

The issue was raised in both the Houses by Trinamool Congress members, with all major political parties and the government condemning the statement. In the Rajya Sabha, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said the state government can register an FIR and take action.

Raising this issue during Zero Hour in the Upper House, TMC member Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said a BJP youth activist has publicly described West Bengal Chief Minister as a "demon" and announced Rs 11 lakh bounty for anyone who brings the head of Chief Minister. Roy asked the House and the government to condemn this incident, saying "a constitutionly elected CM has been described as demon."

He said the Centre was trying to "unleash a reign of terror" in West Bengal in the name of religion and other things. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said: "I strongly condemn such type of statements. State government is free to take appropriate legal action on this issue".

"On such people action can be taken under the the law. An FIR should be registered. Law should take its own course," the Deputy Chairman said, adding that "you raised this issue. Minister has condemned it...No need of discussion on that".

BSP supremo Mayawati termed it as a "serious matter" and said "BJP should not just condemn the statement, but should also take action." Other opposition parties including Congress, Left and SP, also supported TMC on this issue and condemned the incident.

Jaya Bachchan (SP) said there was a need to take "aggressive" steps for protection of women. "You can protect cows and women are facing atrocities," she added. "How dare somebody talk like this", especially against women Chief Minister paticularly when women are feeling insecure. "Is this the way you are going to protect women," Bachchan asked.

BJP member Roopa Ganguly said she too was a woman and "I was beaten up by 17 goons of TMC in front of policemen. The Chief Minister who is also a women should answer this." In the Lok Sabha too, the BJP youth leader's bounty offer was condemned by all sides, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar saying such a statement by anyone was completely wrong and the government strongly condemns it.

"She is an elected Chief Minister and due respect must be given to her. We strongly condemn it," Kumar said. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said there have been many unpleasant incidents in the political discourse in recent past and everyone must work together to improve it. "This is complete wrong. All sides must exercise restraint," she said.

Raising the issue soon after the House assembled to take up the day's business, TMC member Saugata Roy said "Mamata Banerjee is not only an elected Chief Minister but a former member of this House too. It is a serious and alarming behaviour and the House must condemn it. She is a grassroot leader and government must take action on it." Fully supporting Roy, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said his party fully associated with the sentiment and such incident must not happen anywhere. "A strong message should go from the government against such behaviour and action must be taken against the guilty," Kharge said.

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Average age of school children picking up drugs, smoking habit in 10 Indian cities around 13 years!

News Network

December 13,2025

New Delhi: School-going children are picking up drug and smoking habits and engaging in consumption of alcohol, with the average age of introduction to such harmful substances found to be around 13 years, suggesting a need for earlier interventions as early as primary school, a multi-city survey by AIIMS-Delhi said.

The findings also showed substance use increased in higher grades, with grade XI/XII students two times more likely to report use of substances when compared with grade VIII students. This emphasised the importance of continued prevention and intervention through middle and high school.

The study led by Dr Anju Dhawan of AIIMS's National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, published in the National Medical Journal of India this month, looks at adolescent substance use across diverse regions.

The survey included 5,920 students from classes 8, 9, 11 and 12 in urban government, private and rural schools across 10 cities -- Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Delhi, Dibrugarh, Hyderabad, Imphal, Jammu, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Ranchi. The data were collected between May 2018 and June 2019.

The average age of initiation for any substance was 12.9 (2.8) years. It was lowest for inhalants (11.3 years) followed by heroin (12.3 years) and opioid pharmaceuticals (without prescription; 12.5 years).

Overall, 15.1 per cent of participants reported lifetime use, 10.3 per cent reported past year use, and 7.2 per cent reported use in the past month of any substance, the study found.

The most common substances used in the past year, after tobacco (4 per cent) and alcohol (3.8 per cent), were opioids (2.8 per cent), followed by cannabis (2 per cent) and inhalants (1.9 per cent). Use of non-prescribed pharmaceutical opioids was most common among opioid users (90.2 per cent).

On being asked, 'Do you think this substance is easily available for a person of your age' separately for each substance category, nearly half the students (46.3 per cent) endorsed that tobacco products and more than one-third of the students (36.5 per cent) agreed that a person of their age can easily procure alcohol products.

Similarly, for Bhang (21.9 per cent), ganja/charas (16.1 per cent), inhalants (15.2 per cent), sedatives (13.7 per cent), opium and heroin (10 per cent each), the students endorsed that these can be easily procured.

About 95 per cent of the children, irrespective of their grade, agreed with the statement that 'drug use is harmful'.

The rates of substance use (any) among boys were significantly higher than those of girls for substance use (ever), use in the past year and use in the past 30 days. Compared to grade VIII students, grade IX students were more likely, and grade XI/XII students were twice as likely to have used any substance (ever).

The likelihood of past-year use of any substance was also higher for grade IX students and for grade XI/XII students as compared to grade VIII students.

About 40 per cent of students mentioned that they had a family member who used tobacco or alcohol each. The use of cannabis (any product) and opioid (any product) by a family member was reported by 8.2 per cent and 3.9 per cent of students, respectively, while the use of other substances, such as inhalants/sedatives by family was 2-3 per cent, the study found.

A relatively smaller percentage of students reported use of tobacco or alcohol among peers as compared to among family members, while a higher percentage reported inhalants, sedatives, cannabis or opioid use among peers.

Children using substances (past year) compared to non-users reported significantly higher any substance use by their family members and peers.

There were 25.7 per cent students who replied 'yes' to the question 'conflicts/fights often occur in your family'. Most students also replied affirmatively to 'family members are aware of how their time is being spent' and 'damily members are aware of with whom they spend their time'.

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