Rallying behind the state government's anti-drugs campaign “Yudh Nashian Virudh”, over 3000 panchayats across Punjab have passed resolutions to support the Punjab Police’s relentless war against drugs, marking a significant turning point in the fight to root up the drug menace.
The campaign, spearheaded by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, has now evolved into a people’s movement, with villages and towns across the state actively participating in the anti-drug drive.
Notably, amidst the ongoing crackdown against the drug smugglers and peddlers, the Punjab Police under the leadership of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav has also embarked on a special anti-drug awareness campaign to foster a sense of unity and collaboration among the general public in the fight against this critical issue.
Divulging details, Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla said that under this special campaign against drugs, Commissioners of Police and Senior Superintendents of Police (CPs/SSPs) have been directed to organise different awareness events including SAMPARK programmes, Meeting with Students, etc. in their respective districts to engage the general public, youth, non-government organisations (NGOs), clubs, etc in the fight against drugs.
He said that since the launch of ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign as many as 3022 panchayats across the state have passed resolutions with pledge to combat drug abuse, support rehabilitation efforts, and foster stronger police-public partnerships to root out the scourge of drugs from society.
The Special DGP said that the overwhelming public support has bolstered the enforcement efforts of Punjab Police, which has been conducting intensive raids across the state.
He said that on Thursday alone, 97 drug smugglers were arrested, and 1.5 kg of heroin, 100 grams opium, 2 kg Ganja and ₹1.86 lakhs in drug money were seized. Over the past 20 days, the total number of arrests has reached 2463, reflecting the intensified crackdown on drug networks.
Special DGP Arpit Shukla informed that over 200 Police teams, comprising over 1300 police personnel, under the supervision of 84 gazetted officers have conducted raids at as many as 440 locations across the state leading to the registration of 58 first information reports (FIRs) across the state. Police teams have also checked as many as 478 suspicious persons during the day long operation, he added.
He said that with the state government has enforced a three-pronged strategy— Enforcement, Deaddiction and Prevention (EDP)— to eradicate drugs from the state, the Punjab Police as part of ‘De-addiction’ has convinced seven persons to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment, while, organised 103 awareness events across the state as part of Prevention.
Meanwhile, Punjab Police has also carried out search operation at different jails in six districts— Hoshiarpur, SBS Nagar, Jalandhar Rural, Commissionerate Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Rupnagar— to check any illegal activities in the jail. “Our Police teams have thoroughly searched every nook and corner including barracks, kitchen and toilets in the jail complex,” said Special DGP Arpit Shukla.