Ludhiana Rural Police organises basketball tournament to spread awareness against drugs

Ludhiana (Punjab) [India], June 22 (ANI): As part of the ongoing special anti-drug awareness campaign on the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Ludhiana Rural Police has organised a district-level Basketball Tournament to sensitise youth about harmful effects of drugs and channel their energy in the right direction.
The tournament was organised under the supervision of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ludhiana Rural Navneet Singh Bains at Arjuna Awardee Gurdial Singh Malhi's village Gureh in Mullanpur Dakha.
Notably, amid the ongoing crackdown against drug traffickers, the Punjab Police, as part of 'Prevention' has been organising different events to spread awareness among people about the detrimental effects of drugs and get support of the general public in fight against drugs.
The events including basketball tournaments, kabbadi, cricket matches, volleyball, football, cyclothon, awareness camps, dramas, nukkad nataks, marathons, seminars and public meetings are being organised in all the 28 Police districts.
The state government has enforced a three-pronged strategy-- Enforcement, Deaddiction and Prevention (EDP)-- to eradicate drugs from the state.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Ludhiana Range Dhanpreet Kaur, who was chief guest at the event, said that the purpose behind organising such events were to bring together the community, especially focusing on the youth, through the power of sports, emphasising teamwork, discipline, and healthy living.

She said that the tournament has not only served as a competitive platform but also as a stride in spreading awareness about the perils of drug addiction. Through this initiative, the Ludhiana Rural Police reinforced their dedication to safeguarding the well-being of their community, she added.

The event has witnessed an impressive schedule, featuring a total of eight teams-- including six teams of boys and two teams of girls. In the boy's category, the Ludhiana Basketball Academy has secured first place, while, District Ludhiana team remained at second place. Similarly, in the girl's category, Ludhiana Basketball Academy bagged the first position, while, Ludhiana Basketball Club remained at the second position.
DIG Dhanpreet Kaur accompanied by SSP Navneet Singh Bains congratulated the winners and felicitated them with cash prizes, trophies and medals on the occasion.

Villagers came to attend the Basketball tournament talked highly about the Punjab Government and Punjab Police for initiating decisive war against drugs and holding such awareness events to sensitise the youth about the harmful effects of drugs, and in the same time helping drugs addicts by sending them to the Deaddiction and Rehabilitation Centres to bring them back into the mainstream.

Terming the tournament as a great initiative to spread awareness against drugs, Ex-Panchayat Member village Gureh Veerpal Singh thanked the Punjab Police and said that such activities will help in promoting sports among the youth.
Another villager, Gurdeep Singh, from village New Dalla, said that he will offer full support to the Punjab Police in its fight against drugs. (ANI)