Raipur: Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel ordered on Friday the closure of all hookah bars in the state. At the SP/IG conference in Raipur, he told the police brass, “Not even a leaf of ganja should enter the state.” To stop drug smuggling, Baghel instructed police to crack down on the mushrooming of drug peddlers, primarily in the bordering regions of Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. CM Baghel advised police officers that they must “avoid little incidents from acquiring communal shape,” because such incidents have a direct influence on law and order, disrupt tranquilly, and taint the government’s image.

At the police station, subdivision, district, and range levels, a proper information system should be built. The SPs should organise a specific squad to monitor social media in their jurisdiction to detect people propagating false information and hate speech. “One of the most common ways for rumours to propagate is through social media,” the CM noted. When compared to 2011, there has been a 32% decrease in murder cases and a 37% decrease in murder attempts in Chhattisgarh, according to the officers. A total of 774 fraud chit fund company directors and office-bearers have been arrested. The CM praised police and administration for their “exceptional assistance.” During the Covid pandemic “Excellent work was done in the interest of migrant labourers,” he exclaimed.