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Governor lauds Punjab’s ‘Yudh Nashe Virudh’, calls Mann govt’s crackdown on drug trade decisive
With nearly 50,000 arrests since March 2025, seizures of heroin and assets worth hundreds of crores, the anti-drug drive draws rare cross-party praise.
Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria has publicly praised the state government’s anti-drug campaign ‘Yudh Nashe Virudh’, describing the action taken under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann as decisive and outcome-driven. The endorsement comes as the year-long drive against narcotics, launched on March 1, 2025, posts its strongest results yet—signalling, the government says, a determined push to dismantle drug networks and protect Punjab’s youth.
By February 2026, police action under the campaign has led to the arrest of 49,436 drug traffickers and the registration of over 34,000 FIRs. Officials say seizures include 1,961 kg of heroin, 607 kg of opium, 27.5 quintals of poppy husk, 47.57 lakh intoxicant tablets and 28 kg of ICE. In addition, assets worth ₹263 crore linked to 548 traffickers have been frozen, reinforcing the government’s message that the narcotics trade is no longer profitable in the state.
The government has also intensified border and technology-led enforcement to choke cross-border supply routes. Anti-drone systems have been deployed in vulnerable districts such as Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Amritsar, while 2,367 CCTV cameras are being installed along the international border. Authorities say cybercrime linked to narcotics has been tackled as well, with ₹80 crore frozen in cases of online fraud connected to organised crime.
Parallel action against terror and organised gangs has complemented the drug crackdown. In 2025, police say 12 terror incidents were solved and 50 module members arrested. The Internal Security Wing busted 19 modules, arresting 131 persons and recovering weapons, RDX, grenades and RPGs. The Anti-Gangster Task Force dismantled 416 modules and arrested 992 gangsters, indicating a coordinated effort to break the nexus between drugs, terror and organised crime.
Kataria’s appreciation of the campaign has been seen as politically significant, given past differences between the Raj Bhavan and the state government on other issues. Observers say the governor’s remarks underline the scale and seriousness of the drive when it comes to safeguarding Punjab’s future.
The Mann government maintains that ‘Yudh Nashe Virudh’ is not only a policing operation but a social mission. Around 1.5 lakh village volunteers—‘Pind De Pehredar’—have been mobilised, thousands of young people have been guided to de-addiction centres, and anti-drug awareness programmes are being run in schools.
Officials say the results are beginning to show on the ground, with enforcement pressure weakening traffickers’ networks and confidence returning among families and communities. The campaign, the government asserts, marks a clear declaration of intent—positioning a drug-free Punjab as a central pillar of its governance agenda.
