E-Paper
Most FIRs against drug traffickers in Punjab: NCRB data
Out of the total 11,589 FIRs registered under various sections of the NDPS Act in 2023, the state registered 7,785 cases for possession of drugs for trafficking with a ratio of nearly 67%.
Punjab has topped in registering maximum cases against drug traffickers in the country in 2023, revealed the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data released on Tuesday.
Out of the total 11,589 FIRs registered under various sections of the NDPS Act in 2023, the state registered 7,785 cases for possession of drugs for trafficking with a ratio of nearly 67%.
As Kerala (30,697) and Maharashtra (15,610) registered more cases under the NDPS Act as compared to Punjab, maximum of them were against the users. Both states registered 2,682 and 2,535 cases against traffickers, respectively, with a ratio of 8% and 16%.
Overall 39,112 FIRs of drug trafficking were registered in the country out of which 7,785, nearly 19%, were registered in Punjab only.
According to a senior police official of the Anti-Nacotics Task Force (ANTF), the highest cases against drug traffickers reflect that the Punjab Police hit hard on those supplying drugs rather than simply registering cases against the users.
“We have tried to break the drug supply by registering cases against smugglers. Many big fish of the trade have been nabbed in this tenure,” said a senior ANTF official.
Uttar Pradesh is second in registering maximum cases against smugglers followed by Rajasthan.
Drug deaths decreased but Punjab continues to be on top
Even as the number of deaths due to drug overdose have decreased in Punjab in 2023 as compared to 2022, the NCRB data reveals that the state registered the highest number of drug overdose deaths in the country for the second consecutive year in 2023 with 89 fatalities.
Whereas in 2022, Punjab registered 144 deaths due to drug overdose, the NCRB data for the year 2023 reveals that it decreased to 89 in 2023. A total of 654 drug overdose deaths were registered in India in 2023.
Punjab is followed by Madhya Pradesh (85), and Rajasthan (84), reveals the NCRB report on Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2023.
Haryana witnessed no death due to drug overdose whereas in Himachal Pradesh the number is 21.
141 farmer suicides in Punjab
The state registered 141 suicides by farmers of which 133 used to cultivate their own land whereas 8 had leased the land. As many as 33 agriculture labourers lost their lives due to suicides.
The state has performed better on the aspects of crime against women and murders.
