The Hynñiewtrep Youths’ Council (HYC) is being targeted by the drug mafia in an attempt to discredit it as it battles drug addiction and the trade in illegal narcotics.
This was stated by HYC leader Roy Kupar Synrem today in reaction to allegations of abuse of drug addicts undergoing treatment at a rehabilitation centre it has sent drug addicts to in Assam.
Synrem denied that the pressure group, which has made the problem of drugs one of its biggest priorities, has ever forced anyone into a rehab centre without their parents or guardians signing consent forms.
However, Synrem would not speak to the allegations made against the rehab centre in question, the Alive Again Foundation, the owner of which has threatened to sue for defamation.
According to Synrem, the HYC only began sending addicts there from May and the allegations refer to incidents before that.
HYC members had made inspection and formal visits and found nothing untoward at that time and did not receive any complaints from inmates or their families.
“Our members, in the fight against drugs, are investing their time, energy and money. To allege that we have a connection with the rehabilitation centre is highly condemnable. We have become a significant obstacle to drug peddlers and those involved in this business, who are making enormous profits from the illicit drug trade in our state. They are doing everything they can to discredit the HYC,” he concluded.
