500 days, 70K arrests: CM Bhagwant Mann says war on drugs to go on in Punjab

Marking 500 days of the AAP government’s anti-drug drive, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday said the ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign had led to the arrest of 70,000 smugglers and that the crackdown would continue until the menace was completely eradicated from the state.

Launching a sharp attack on previous governments, the Chief Minister alleged that the Shiromani Akali Dal had “introduced drugs” in Punjab, while the Congress had “patronised the menace”. He claimed the AAP government had “broken the back” of the drug trade through strict enforcement, rehabilitation of addicts and a sustained public awareness campaign.

“Punjab, once branded as ‘Udta Punjab’, is now transforming into ‘Padhta te Tandrust Punjab’,” he said, citing the state’s top ranking in school education, record performances in JEE and NEET and merit-based government recruitment. Mann claimed Punjab had overtaken Kerala, Maharashtra and Delhi to secure the top position in primary and middle-school education. “The latest figures released by NITI Aayog, one of the Government of India’s premier institutions, confirm that Punjab now ranks first in the country in this sector,” he said.

Marking the one year of the village defence committees (VDCs), Mann thanked the people for turning both initiatives into mass movements. “The day is not far when, together, these two movements will completely eradicate the menace of drugs,” he said.

Addressing VDC volunteers, also known as ‘Pinda De Pehredaar’, in Ludhiana, the CM said: “We have arrested 70,000 drug smugglers in the last 500 days. Across 13,000 villages, nearly 1.25 lakh volunteers are actively working to eliminate drugs.”