The continuing drugs menace in Punjab

For decades, Punjab has been struggling to tackle drug trafficking. Its proximity to the heroin-producing Golden Crescent — Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran — makes it vulnerable to the problem. This is why the drugs menace is also a national security issue. Last August, as the Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria said, the State, which shares an International Border with Pakistan, has been facing challenges from the neighbouring country, which is fighting “a proxy war” by sending drugs and weapons to “create disturbance” in India. Apart from Punjab, Pakistan has also lately been sending drugs to the Jammu region.

To make matters worse, the use of drones to smuggle narcotics has intensified the transnational challenge. While the Border Security Force (BSF) has been empowered to carry out search, seizure and arrest for illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs at the International Border under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, smugglers have become smarter. Reports indicate that they have shifted operations from drones with payloads of 4-5 kg to smaller drones with lighter payloads, which can carry about 500 gm of heroin per trip. By increasing the number of sorties with smaller drones, smugglers have minimised the losses of narcotics in case the drone is shot down or captured. In 2024, the BSF Punjab Frontier posted on X that it had recovered 294 drones, a substantial increase from 107 drones in 2023. Additionally, approximately 283 kg of heroin was seized, four Pakistani intruders were neutralised, and 161 Indian smugglers along with 30 Pakistani nationals were apprehended from the border.

Punjab is not only on the supply route, but is also a major consumer of drugs. In the last three years alone, 29,010 cases have been registered and 39,832 people arrested under the NDPS Act, 1985. In this period, 2,710 kg of heroin were also seized. However, it is well known that the quantities of drugs seized are only a fraction of the total volume of drugs available in the State.

A 2022 study conducted by Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, shows the scale of the problem of demand for drugs. It stated that some 15% (41 lakh people) of Punjab’s population of 277.4 lakh are consuming some drug. Additionally, according to a 2014 survey, every third male and every tenth female in Punjab has consumed drugs under one pretext or the other in their lifetime. Further, 1.7 lakh people consume opioids, followed by cannabinoids as well as sedative-inhalant-stimulants. The PGIMER study also shows that there are large numbers of injection drug users (19.5%) in the State with a high prevalence of HIV. The primary reason for an increase in the number of deaths among drug addicts is the reuse of injections already used by HIV positive persons. An affidavit submitted in the Punjab and Haryana High Court shows that drug overdose claimed 159 lives in 2022–23, 71 in 2021–22, and 36 in 2020–21.

The Punjab government has focused on targeting the large networks of drug smugglers as well as local suppliers. While the problem of availability of drugs is undoubtedly a big one, it is linked to other challenges, such as institutional corruption and lethargy to change the mindsets of the people in the State.

There is a clear nexus between politicians, the police, and the drug mafia. In fact, last year, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced that at least 10,000 police personnel, from the rank of constable onwards, had been transferred after he realised that drug peddlers had a nexus with the police. Due to this, it has become much more difficult to combat the menace effectively and with a strategic purpose.

While measures are being taken by the government, the police also have has limited capacity to investigate narcoterror, particularly related to modern technological tools. Further, while they are focusing on reducing supply, there is less focus on rehabilitation and on reducing demand. This is a long-term but important project.

The need of the hour is to recognise the seriousness of the issue. The scale and intensity of it have far-reaching consequences. While legal and policing solutions are available, political will is required to tackle the matter head-on.

Bhashyam Kasturi is a former director, National Security Council Secretariat. Views are his own