Punjab Drug War: AAP's Missed Deadline, Rising Risks for Whistleblowers

Punjab's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is confronting a political vulnerability of its own making: a promise to eradicate the drug trade within three to six months, made ahead of the 2022 assembly elections. The pledge helped the party secure 92 of 117 seats, but the deadline passed without the problem being solved. Instead, the drug trade has expanded into remote villages, and admissions at rehabilitation centres have risen.

Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan has publicly acknowledged that the government failed to fulfil its promise to end drug use. Party leaders point to ports and drones as routes for supply, but questions persist about why the state has not been able to stop the flow. With the 2027 election in view, the issue remains AAP's biggest political liability.

The opposition BJP, during its Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra, is seeking a two-year deadline, arguing that short timelines do not work. A senior BJP leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the party is proceeding cautiously and that its campaign aims to highlight AAP's unmet promise. The BJP has promised direct enforcement against traffickers, disruption of inter-state and international supply routes, asset seizures, and medical and psychological rehabilitation for addicts, alongside a public-driven social movement.

Meanwhile, the government's anti-drug campaign, Yudh Nasheyan Virudh, offers incentives for whistleblowers and has led to the formation of village committees. However, it has not ensured their safety. Across rural Punjab, a lack of trust in local police has prompted the creation of nearly 15,000 citizen-led ward committees that manually guard village entry points. This parallel system has generated friction, with committees often accusing ruling-party panchayat leaders of protecting smugglers.

Two cases in Sangrur this month have brought informant safety into focus. On September 21, Jagseer Singh, 30, of Namol allegedly consumed poison outside the Sangrur DC office after posting footage of drug sales near his home. He alleged that sarpanch Sukhwinder Singh "Sukhi" Punia forced him to delete the video, smashed CCTV equipment, and assaulted his family. Police have booked the sarpanch and seven others. Officers noted that Jagseer had faced nine earlier cases, including convictions under the NDPS Act, and AAP described him as an addict.

Days earlier, in Tur Banjara, labourer Gulzar Singh, 47, asked Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema why heroin was as easy to obtain as salt. Relatives say he was pressured to apologise; he later consumed pesticide and died at DMCH Ludhiana. Police booked the sarpanch and four others for abetment to suicide and under the SC/ST Act. Cheema is not named, and an SIT is investigating.

The pattern is not new. In August 2025, Ludhiana trader Deepak Kumar used the chief minister's anti-drug helpline; men later attacked his gate and flashed a gun on CCTV. In April 2026, Abohar activist Dara Grover was beaten with bricks after speaking against trafficking; residents protested until police arrested one accused and raided the area.

Drug cartels have also turned to confrontational tactics against law enforcement. At least three ASI-rank officials and one home guard have allegedly been killed by smugglers: ASI Harjeet Singh and ASI Joga Singh from Amritsar, and ASI Gurnam Singh and Home Guard Ashok Kumar from Gurdaspur. The killings underscore the elevated risks officers face during rural patrols, vehicle interceptions, and border operations.

The opposition Congress has accused senior police officials posted in border zones of contributing to the anti-drug campaign's failure. Former Punjab home minister and Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa alleged that senior officials were hand in glove with smugglers, citing FBI findings that gangsters were carrying out extortion in connivance with corrupt police.