Guilty or not?: U’khand STF, drug dept differ on illicit unit

A bureaucratic standoff has erupted in Uttarakhand as two key state agencies—the Special Task Force (STF) and the Drug Administration Department—find themselves at loggerheads over the handling of illicit drug manufacturing units.

- NARENDRA SETHI

The conflict was triggered by the STF’s recent bust of an online network selling spurious medicines, an action that the Drug Administration Department has openly questioned and effectively challenged. The dispute stems from a high-profile operation conducted by the STF which led to the arrest of two individuals accused of running an illicit online pharmaceutical racket. One of the suspects, Gaurav Tyagi, confessed during interrogation that he and his brother, Mayank (alias Monty), were manufacturing counterfeit drugs of various brands at a factory located in Bhagwanpur, Haridwar.