About Shri Sushil Agarwal IPS
Shri Sushil Agarwal, IPS, is the Superintendent of Police, Vadodara Rural. A graduate of IIT Delhi who spent around sixteen years living in hostels, he told students he was not there to treat them as criminals but to bring a healthy awareness of the law, and gave them two lines to carry: do not get intoxicated, and build your identity from your dreams.
How the trade targets students, and why the first hit is free
Agarwal made the economics plain. The first offer, he said, is almost always free, because a dealer treats a hooked student the way a business treats customer acquisition: one dependent student brings many more. That is why colleges are targeted. He described cannabis as a gateway that is easier to find than in his own student days, and warned that it dulls thinking and questioning, so that a student who scored well in school can see their performance fall sharply once a habit takes hold.
His central warning was about peer pressure. He recalled a hostel friend who began drinking only to be accepted by a group during a college election season, and whose habit then went deep. The pressure to join in, he said, lasts a very short time, while the life that follows is very long, so the worst reason to try anything is to fit in.
Reporting, and tools that keep students safe
Agarwal cited cases from his district soberly to underline the stakes, including young people who lost their lives after drug use, and the pain carried by families who did not know until it was too late. His message from these was not fear for its own sake but the value of speaking up early. He asked students to inform the police about drug activity around them, noting that information leading to an arrest under the NDPS Act carries a reward, and that reports can be shared discreetly.
He also introduced the Navratri Suraksha App, a safety pilot by Vadodara Rural Police available on Android and iOS. Its SOS button alerts the police within seconds, after which the control room calls the user or sends an officer, and the user’s live location is sent to a chosen contact. He asked students not to trigger it for testing, since it is monitored around the clock, and framed it as a way to enjoy the festival season safely. His closing advice was to be aware, to be vigilant, and to remember that prevention is better than cure. Join Faculty of Psychology at Parul University and find the programme that suits your interest such BA in Psychology, or B.Sc. in Psychology or masters.
Also Read: Dr. Pawan Dwivedi at Parul University: Youth, the Digital Age and the Anti-Drug Pledge
