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Punjab Police ask Centre for powers to check pharma drug trade
Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav writes to five states to stop illegal pharmaceutical supply lines following Mansa anti-drug activist’s murder.
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Jalandhar: Amid a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the murder of 45-year-old anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota—who was shot dead inside a Mansa medical store on October 13 after confronting a chemist over illegal pill sales—Punjab Police chief Gaurav Yadav on Wednesday proposed key amendments to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, urging the Centre to grant police officers joint enforcement powers along with drug inspectors.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 67th Police Commemoration Day at the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) Grounds in Jalandhar, the director general of police (DGP) said that the state has also asked the Union government to include habit-forming prescription drugs, particularly Pregabalin, directly under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Currently regulated under pharmacy laws where offenders easily secure bail, police want Pregabalin classified under NDPS schedules to enable strict, non-bailable prosecution.
To curb the supply of pharmaceutical drugs smuggled into Punjab from Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Haryana, the DGP said the state has sought assistance from the police chiefs of the five states. “We have asked them for better pharmaceutical regulations and monitoring to stop their diversion, particularly into south Malwa districts adjoining Haryana,” Yadav said, adding that the issue was discussed at length during a recent police and civil administration meeting in Phillaur.
He reiterated that Punjab has launched a 60-day plan targeting 435 identified hotspots. Based on intelligence inputs, village defence committees, and district assessments, the police have mapped 2,913 listed peddlers and 312 major suppliers across these clusters.
On the federal investigation into anti-drug activist Jhota’s killing, Yadav said that Punjab Police acted promptly by registering a case and arresting four suspects. “On the demand of the family, the Punjab government decided to hand over the case to the CBI,” Yadav said.
Regarding the killings of police personnel in border areas, the DGP said that investigators are using scientific methods to trace the perpetrators. “We have unearthed some modules and handlers. We have also established Pakistan links in some cases,” he said.
Claiming that Punjab Police have delivered a decisive blow to the drug network, the DGP said that over 95,000 cases under the NDPS Act have been registered since March 16, 2022. This has led to more than 1.27 lakh arrests, the recovery of over 7,260 kg of heroin, and the freezing of property worth ₹902 crore belonging to traffickers—marking the highest forfeiture anywhere in the country—along with securing a 90% conviction rate in courts.
Yadav also outlined strategies focused on dismantling financial networks, targeting hotspots, modernising infrastructure with an investment of over ₹1,600 crore, and bolstering cybersecurity capacities to suppress criminal syndicates.
Homage to martyrs
Earlier, paying homage at the PAP Martyrs’ Memorial along with special DGP (law and order) Praveen Kumar Sinha and ADGP, PAP, MF Farooqui, Yadav described Punjab Police as an exceptional force that has served the country with unmatched valour during war, peace, and proxy conflicts. He said since September 1981, as many as 1,804 personnel of Punjab Police have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty, including two bravehearts this year.
“It is because of these brave martyrs that we are breathing in an atmosphere of peace today,” Yadav said, adding that sustained anti-gangster operations launched in April 2022 have dismantled 1,288 organised criminal modules and led to the arrest of over 3,300 gang members.
Police Commemoration Day traces back to October 21, 1959, when a CRPF patrol led by SI Karam Singh was ambushed by Chinese forces at Hot Springs in Ladakh, resulting in the martyrdom of 10 jawans at 16,000 feet in freezing conditions. Since then, October 21 is observed annually across all police units in the country to honour personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty.
