War Against Drugs

It has been almost two years since the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab has been enthusiastically launching an anti-drug campaign. This campaign is being carried out under Operation COSO, which stands for Cordon and Search Operation. Hundreds of drug dealers have been put behind bars under this campaign. Large quantities of drugs have been seized, and arrests have been made. Innocent drug addicts have been sent to de-addiction centers. The drug trade is not new to Punjab; the practice of smuggling drugs from across the border into India has been going on for a long time. Every day, the police are conducting raids and arresting numerous criminals. Recently, 34 people were arrested in a raid in Patiala, from whom heroin, narcotic pills, and marijuana were recovered. These 34 people are now being investigated to identify who is behind this drug trade and who can be apprehended. It is not possible to catch the small fish while the big crocodiles escape. On Sunday, a force of 440 police personnel raided 42 drug hotspots in Ferozepur, arresting 15 accused. Now, as per the policy change, police are raiding the homes of suspects linked to drug trafficking. This means that if any information is received about a suspect, raids will be conducted immediately without any delay. Despite such a large-scale operation, much remains to be done. Drug abuse has spread not only to North India but also to South India. Therefore, the Central Government has announced a large-scale national drug eradication program. They say that drug abuse will be completely eradicated from Punjab by 2029. We believe that if the drug problem is to be eradicated, drone infiltration, funded and operated by enemy Pakistan, must be stopped. This drone consignment is being smuggled into India from Pakistan. A three-tiered anti-drug framework has been established, consisting of the BSF, the Punjab Police’s anti-drone system, and Punjab’s 52 drone response teams, supported by CCTV and local networks. These teams, staffed by 147 police personnel, counter and destroy drone infiltration with lightning speed. Such a strong security shield gives hope that the enemy’s attempts to tarnish the image of our vibrant Punjab will never succeed.