Chandigarh, October 3, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday announced plans to recruit 10,000 additional personnel into the Punjab Police in the coming financial year, as the state intensifies its campaign against drug trafficking and abuse under ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’. He also said that 450 Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASIs) were being recruited directly, while around 3,400 police personnel were currently undergoing training.
Addressing a first-of-its-kind ‘SHO Milni’ at Maharaja Ranjit Singh Academy in Phillaur, where police officers were also honoured for their work during the anti-drug campaign, Mann said the police had full freedom to take legitimate action against drug traffickers. He urged Station House Officers (SHOs) to work closely with communities, visit villages and towns, and ensure prompt action on complaints and actionable information.
The Chief Minister described ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ as a mass awareness movement across Punjab and said the state was entering the final and decisive phase of its fight against drugs. He stressed that the campaign required public cooperation, professional policing, prevention, de-addiction and rehabilitation, alongside enforcement.
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Mann said the government was strengthening police capabilities through modern infrastructure and technology, including CCTV cameras, anti-drone systems, modern vehicles and AI-enabled surveillance. He also cited the Sadak Surakhya Force, launched in February 2024, as an example of specialised policing focused on road safety and emergency response.
Highlighting the scale of enforcement, Mann said that over the past four and a half years, more than 95,644 FIRs had been registered under the NDPS Act and around 1,27,821 arrests had been made. More than 7,265 kg of heroin had been recovered, while properties worth ₹375 crore belonging to alleged drug smugglers had been seized during the campaign.
He further said Village Defence Committees had provided 24,083 confidential inputs, leading to 4,843 FIRs and 6,515 arrests. The Chief Minister noted that Punjab shared a 553-kilometre international border with Pakistan, with six districts bordering the neighbouring country, and called for vigilance against alleged attempts to smuggle drugs using drones.
Mann also urged police officers to conduct drug-awareness programmes in educational institutions and focus on helping people affected by addiction return to productive lives. He said the state government was in discussions with the Union Government to make the NDPS Act more stringent.
Emphasising police welfare, he referred to steps to facilitate leave, clear pending pension cases and expedite procedures in crime- and drug-related matters. He called on officers to uphold honesty, accountability, courage and compassion, while recognising the contribution of police personnel’s families.
Chief Secretary KAP Sinha, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav and other senior officers were present at the event.
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