Full Breakdown
Punjab’s Drug-Menace Dispute Escalates Ahead of State Elections
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Political Clash Over Drug Allegations
On October 16, 2026, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann denounced the Union government for singling out the state in the national drug debate, citing recent seizures at Gujarat’s Kandla port and the daylight killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa. Union Home Minister Amit Shah posted on X that Punjab was grappling with a rising drug menace and asked Mann to account for the incidents. The exchange has intensified tensions as Punjab heads toward assembly elections slated for early 2027.
Background & Context
Punjab’s anti-drug drive, “Yudh Nashean Virudh,” was launched by the AAP government to curb opioid and pharmaceutical-sedative abuse. The campaign follows a decade-long perception of the state as a narcotics hub, amplified during the 2007-2017 Akali Dal-BJP coalition. Recent analyses note a shift from traditional opium and heroin to diverted prescription medicines such as alprazolam, nitrazepam and clonazepam.
Data & Statistics
- 3,000 kg of heroin seized at Gujarat’s Kandla port.
- 6.2 million sedative tablets confiscated in a single inter-state operation.
- NDDTC survey estimates ? 9.93 lakh current sedative users in Punjab, with ? 2 lakh needing treatment.
- Broader surveys place total drug users in Punjab between 66 lakh and 74 lakh.
- Police raids uncovered law-enforcement involvement: a constable arrested with 15 kg of heroin after Jhota’s murder, and former AIG Raj Jit Singh Hundal arrested on September 24, 2026.
Official Statements & Responses
Mann asserted that the Border Security Force operates only within a 50-km border zone, yet large consignments are intercepted elsewhere. He said Punjab’s anti-drone system remains unfunded by the Centre and urged focus on cross-border routes. Shah linked the Jhota killing and a separate death in Dirba to a deteriorating law-and-order environment, demanding accountability from the state.
Criticism & Opposition
- Sardar Kewal Singh Dhillon, Punjab BJP president, called for Mann’s resignation, accusing the state government of fostering a “substance-abuse crisis.”
On-the-Ground Reports
Jhota was shot after confronting a chemist accused of selling addictive pills without prescription. Police identified the alleged shooter, Ashwani Kumar, a repeat violator whose licence had been suspended but remained operational under his wife’s name. The Mansa Superintendent of Police classified the case as “multi-agency,” noting that drug-controller agencies, not police, bear primary responsibility for prescription compliance.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Survey data diverge on the proportion of users dependent on pharmaceutical sedatives versus opioids, and sources differ on coordination failures between Punjab’s health and police departments, citing both individual sabotage and systemic licensing lapses.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Today, the Centre is questioning us. The 50-km BSF jurisdiction falls under the Centre. Drugs weighing 3,000 kg are seized at Gujarat’s Kandla port, which also falls under your jurisdiction. We have our own anti-drone system, for which the Centre has not given us even a penny, yet you blame us. Punjab has fallen and risen many times.” — Bhagwant Mann
- “In Punjab, the drug trade is flourishing, the threat of organised crime is growing, and questions are being raised about the safety of those who speak out against drugs.” — Amit Shah
- “Raising a voice against drugs in Punjab has now become a death sentence. And this is happening under the rule of Bhagwant Mann's AAP government,” — Rahul Gandhi
What’s Next
The Ministry of Home Affairs will seek formal responses from Punjab regarding the Jhota murder and the Dirba death. With elections anticipated in early 2027, parties are expected to intensify campaigns on the drug issue. The BJP has set March 31, 2029 as a deadline for delivering a drug-free Punjab, framing it as a benchmark for future electoral accountability.