Chandigarh: With the three-month deadline announced by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to make Punjab a “drug free state” ending Saturday, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav declared that the “battle against drugs had been won, but the war continues”.
Addressing a press conference here, Yadav said the police had been “largely victorious” in restricting the spread of drugs in Punjab but the war on drugs will continue. The police will press on with measures it took over the past three months, he said, adding that it will also now focus on making jails drug-free, start e-tagging of repeat offenders and set up anti-drone systems to curtail entry of drugs via the International Border.
However, the Opposition in the state wasn’t convinced.
“It’s a ceasefire, not a victory,” Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said in a press statement issued here. “Had it been a victory the announcement would have come from the chief minister,” he added.
Other opposition leaders mocked the government’s claim that Punjab is now a “drug-free state,” sharing what they alleged were recently shot videos of youngsters taking drugs in the open.
Mann had on 1 March announced a special campaign ‘Yudh Nashea Virudh’ with an aim to make Punjab a drug free state in three months. In a meeting of police commissioners, deputy commissioners, and senior superintendents of police that day, a three-month strategy was laid out.
A five-member cabinet sub-committee was also constituted under the leadership of Aman Arora, president of Punjab unit of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), to monitor efforts of various arms of the State towards the objective.
Giving a detailed report card of the campaign Saturday, DGP Yadav said state police registered as many as 8,344 FIRs and arrested 14,734 drug smugglers during this period.
He added that 586 kg heroin, 247 kg opium, 14 tonnes of poppy husk, 9 kg charas, 253 kg ganja, 2.5 kg ICE, 1.6 kg cocaine, 25.70 lakh intoxicant pills/tablets and Rs 10.76 crore in drug money was recovered during this period.
“During the ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign, illegally acquired properties of 144 drug smugglers worth Rs 74.27 crore have been frozen, while 104 illegally constructed properties of drug smugglers were demolished by the local authorities,” said Yadav. He also said that in the next phase of the campaign, Rs 500 crore have been set aside to modernize jails. “Also we are going to set up drug de-addiction centres in all the jails.”
He added that the state police plan to e-tag repeat offenders in NDPS cases and also put in place a system to get their bails reviewed.
Punjab police, he said, offered to start a program “each one adopt one” encouraging volunteers in the police to take responsibility for at least one drug addict each in their vicinity. “It is a completely voluntary exercise which can also be undertaken by people other than the police. In fact we want a larger role to be played by civil society to help us curb this menace.”
He emphasised a three pronged strategy: enforcement, de-addiction and prevention. “Consumers of drugs are being treated like victims. More than 13,000 addicts have been transferred to drug de-addiction centres by the police in the past three months,” said Yadav.
Also Read: Punjab’s booming de-addiction industry has spawned far greater threats—illegal centres, monopolies
War on drugs won or ceasefire?
Challenging the claim that the objectives of the first phase of the anti-drug campaign have been met, state Congress chief Warring wrote to CM Mann on X: “Please tell us, whether the ‘War’ has really been won? Or, there is a CEASEFIRE?”
CEASEFIRE!!!!!
“Yudh Nashya Virudh”?
Respected @BhagwantMann Sahab, Sat Sri Akaal.
Today is May 31, 2025, the DEADLINE you set for Defeating Drugs in Punjab.
Will you please tell us about the status of the ‘War on Drugs’?
Please tell us, whether the ‘War’ has really been won?…
— Amarinder Singh Raja Warring (@RajaBrar_INC) May 31, 2025
Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira issued a video message saying the government failed to eradicate drugs from the state despite making tall promises. He said the police were using the war on drugs to treat people in an inhuman manner that even led to the death of one person.
LIVE-today is 31st May deadline to make Punjab a drug free state by Cm @BhagwantMann & @DGPPunjabPolice ! Have they lived up to their word?
Is it justified to kill youth in the name of War Against Drugs? #PoliceState pic.twitter.com/ErGePVHGYy
— Sukhpal Singh Khaira (@SukhpalKhaira) May 31, 2025
Khaira also claimed a resident of Jaito in Faridkot district died of drug overdose Saturday.
While @BhagwantMann and @DGPPunjabPolice were claiming to make Punjab drugs free by 31st May Manpreet of V. Rorikapura (Jaito) has died today due to drug overdose ! Will they apologise for making false claims?-Khaira @INCIndia @INCPunjab pic.twitter.com/dfoCIW2be1
— Sukhpal Singh Khaira (@SukhpalKhaira) May 31, 2025
Mohit Mohindra, state youth Congress president reminded Mann of his promise. “Well, today is 31st May — and the reality on the ground tells a very different, heartbreaking story,” he wrote on X.
Remember your promise, @BhagwantMann ji?
You said Punjab would be '#NashaMukt' by 31st May.
Well, today is 31st May — and the reality on the ground tells a very different, heartbreaking story.
Our youth are still suffering. Our streets still witness the pain.
False promises. No… pic.twitter.com/rWFjx2HlJ7
— Mohit Mohindra (@mohit_mohindra) May 31, 2025
Replying to Warring’s comment, AAP spokesperson Neel Garg said in a video message that there was no ceasefire at all as far as the war on drugs is concerned. He instead accused Warring of promoting cultivation of opium in the state. “How can one drug be used to replace another? In Punjab we have a zero tolerance policy for every possible drug.”
He asked why Warring never questioned former chief minister Amarinder Singh, who was then in the Congress, when he took a vow on the Gutka Sahib to end drug abuse in the state in a month.
– @RajaWaring ji, Congress' track record on tackling drugs in Punjab is questionable. 🚫 CM @BhagwantMann's @AAPPunjab govt is working tirelessly to make Punjab drug-free. Let's support the efforts instead of spreading negativity! 🙌 #PunjabAgainstDrugs #AAP https://t.co/yZGatYeFfX pic.twitter.com/juUGNKY8KH
— Neel Garg (@GargNeel) May 31, 2025
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Also Read: Punjab’s war on drugs is an asymmetric fight. Poor infra, not enough doctors or data