Nagpur: The mystery surrounding the suspected ganja (marijuana) plants found inside a Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) garden at Gajanan Nagar has deepened, with municipal commissioner Vipin Itankar ordering a forensic inquiry and the garden department formally asking Dhantoli police to investigate the incident and identify those responsible. The department has also sought enhanced police patrolling around the garden following complaints of antisocial activities.As part of the probe, NMC has collected soil samples from both the garden and the roots of the seized plants. Preliminary observations suggested that the soil attached to the roots appeared different from the soil in the garden, raising suspicion that the plants may have been brought from elsewhere and planted or dumped at the site. Laboratory analysis is expected to establish their origin.In a letter to the senior police inspector of Dhantoli police station on Tuesday, the deputy commissioner (garden) Ganesh Rathod described the incident as “extremely serious” as the public garden is frequented daily by children, women and senior citizens. The department requested a detailed inquiry, verification of facts, appropriate legal action and a report on the action taken. It also urged police to intensify patrolling after receiving complaints that antisocial elements regularly gather inside the garden.On Monday night, officials from the garden department led by Rathod, accompanied by police personnel, conducted a thorough search of the premises but failed to find any other suspected cannabis plants. The absence of additional plants has further fuelled speculation over how the plants reached the municipal garden.The garden is located beside a railway track and a drain, with a nearby slum settlement. Residents alleged that trespassers routinely enter the premises after dark to consume liquor, narcotics and gamble. Although the garden is enclosed by a compound wall and iron fencing, locals said the boundary is too low to prevent unauthorised entry.Residents further claimed that repeated complaints about illegal activities have gone unaddressed and that the garden has remained without a security guard for nearly three years after the previous guard was allegedly assaulted by miscreants.On Tuesday morning, the garden department carried out a cleanliness drive by clearing overgrown vegetation and dry leaves. However, residents claimed there were no visible signs that any plants had been uprooted from the location where the suspected marijuana plants were allegedly found, adding another layer of uncertainty to the case.With forensic examination now underway and a police inquiry initiated, investigators are expected to determine whether the plants actually grew inside the garden or were deliberately brought there, while the episode has once again exposed glaring concerns over security and monitoring at NMC’s public gardens.
