Jalandhar, Oct. 23 -- As the political debate over Punjab's drug crisis intensifies, two brothers-aged 9 and 12 years-have fallen victim to 'chitta' (synthetic drugs) in a Kapurthala village. The issue surfaced on Wednesday after a video showing the 9-year-old openly consuming drugs went viral on social media, forcing the police into action. Subsequent dope tests for both brothers came back positive. Kapurthala police rushed the boys to the local civil hospital on Thursday. The 9-year-old was later sent to the drug de-addiction centre at the Government Medical College in Amritsar, while his elder brother will receive treatment at the Kapurthala civil hospital. The brothers, both school dropouts, are raised by a single mother who works as a daily-wager. The case has put the police and civil administration on the back foot at a time when the state government claims to be tackling drug abuse on a war-footing through its 60-day campaign, Yudh Nashean Virudh. Bholath deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Sukhpal Singh said a probe was underway to track down the supply chain. "Preliminary investigation reveals that the 9-year-old was hooked onto drugs two months ago," he said. Police said the village was situated near drug hotspots Naharpur and Lakhan Khurd villages between the Subhanpur-Kartarpur belt. Commenting on the incident, Punjabi University, Patiala, psychology professor Damanjit Sandhu said, "At this age, children lack fully developed decision-making abilities. There is typically no peer pressure among kids this young. Irrespective of socio-economic status-from bureaucrats to daily wagers-parents must monitor who their children spend time with and who influences them." Sandhu, who specialises in adolescent psychology, said childhood trauma, vulnerability, parental neglect, and immediate social environments contributed to early drug dependence. "Earlier, the focus was on teaching children about 'good touch and bad touch'. Today, we must warn them never to accept or consume anything given by strangers or acquaintances," she said....