An anti-drug operation in the Lug valley of Kullu district turned violent on October 17, with the police alleging that a team was attacked and two suspects, from whom charas was seized, were forcibly freed by a group of locals. The incident has triggered a controversy, with a former panchayat president questioning the police account.The police have registered a case against Mangarh panchayat president Shanti Devi, her husband Jeet Ram, vice-president Rajender and unidentified persons in connection with the incident at Pankuti-Jakleh Kainchi Mod.According to the police, the Kullu District Detection Cell acted on a tip-off and intercepted two men, one from Jakrehad village and the other from Summa village, in the Lug valley. A search of their bags allegedly led to the recovery of charas.The police claimed that Shanti Devi, Jeet Ram and Rajender reached the spot, following which 30-40 locals gathered and allegedly attacked the police team and an independent witness. The crowd then forcibly took away the two suspects and the seized contraband, the police claimed.However, as many as 508 gm of charas was left behind at the scene, which was seized and sealed. A policeman and an eyewitness sustained injuries in the incident, while mobile phones allegedly left behind by the suspects were also taken into custody, the police added.An FIR has been registered at the Kullu police station under Sections 20 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and Sections 132, 191(2), 121(1), 115(2) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The police said efforts were under way to identify all those involved, make arrests and initiate legal action on the basis of available evidence.However, former panchayat president Reena Devi, who claimed to be present at the spot, challenged the police account. She alleged that a group of unidentified persons in plain clothes arrived around 8 am carrying a bag of cash and asked villagers to procure charas. According to her, they failed to produce any identification, prompting villagers to question them.Reena termed the case against the villagers baseless, denied that any charas was recovered from the spot and demanded video evidence of the alleged seizure. She also claimed that Shanti Devi was not present during the incident. Rajender Thakur, the panchayat vice-president, reportedly said he was unaware of the episode.Reena said a panchayat delegation would meet the Superintendent of Police on October 20 to seek clarification.The incident comes amid an intensified statewide crackdown on narcotics. Official data shows that 5,642 NDPS cases were registered and over 8,250 people arrested in Himachal Pradesh during the past three years. The authorities have also stepped up surveillance of repeat offenders, suspected supply networks and financial transactions linked to drug trafficking.