‘No Political Interference’: Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav Defends Police Action Against Drugs and Gangsters
Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, a 1992-batch IPS officer of the Punjab cadre, has asserted that the state police is functioning without political interference in its campaign against drug trafficking, organised crime and terror networks. He said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had given the police operational freedom to address law and order challenges and safeguard the state’s security.
Speaking to the media in Chandigarh on Monday, Yadav maintained that the force was working professionally and in close coordination with central agencies to preserve peace in the border state. “My force is working professionally, without any political meddling, and in tandem with central agencies to maintain the hard-won peace in Punjab,” he said.
“The Chief Minister’s mandate to us is clear. We will never allow the return of dark days,” he added, referring to the period of extremist violence that Punjab witnessed during the 1990s.His remarks come amid criticism from opposition parties over the state’s law and order situation ahead of the next Assembly elections.
Punjab DGP Cites Crime Rate Below National Average
Defending the police’s performance, Yadav cited National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) figures and state crime statistics to argue that Punjab’s crime rate remains below the national average.
According to the figures presented by him, Punjab recorded a crime rate of 153.8 per lakh population, compared with the national average of 252.3 per lakh.He also highlighted an 8% decline in IPC crimes during 2022-2026 compared with the 2017-2021 period. In a separate interaction with the newspaper, he cited Punjab’s chargesheeting rate at 82.5%.
Comparing crime indicators in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, the DGP argued that several measures reflected a comparatively lower incidence of violent crime in Punjab. “Professional policing should be judged by facts, not propaganda,” he said.
Yudh Nashian Virudh: Punjab Police Reports Major Anti-Drug Action
Highlighting the state government’s flagship anti-narcotics campaign, Yudh Nashian Virudh, launched on March 1, 2025, Yadav said sustained enforcement had helped disrupt drug supply networks and strengthen action against traffickers.
He cited the following achievements:
* More than 88,000 arrests in drug-related cases.
* Over 44,000 kg of heroin recovered.
* Approximately 60% of India’s heroin seizures attributed to Punjab, according to the figures cited in the interaction.
* A 90% conviction rate in cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, compared with 54% in Haryana.
In a separate interview, Yadav provided more detailed figures, stating that the campaign had resulted in 88,900 arrests and the recovery of 44,424 kg of heroin.
He further claimed that heroin seizures had increased 3.2 times, recovery of drug money had risen threefold and seizures of synthetic drugs, including ICE, had increased 8.5 times.
The DGP credited the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) with improving investigations, strengthening enforcement and contributing to higher conviction rates in drug-related cases.
Gangster-Related Murders and Firing Incidents Witness Decline
Yadav also presented statistics indicating a decline in organised crime-related violence during 2026. According to the figures cited by him, organised crime-related murders fell from 43 in the previous year to 24 in 2026. Similarly, firing incidents declined from 207 to 128 over the corresponding period.
He attributed the reduction to sustained operations against gangster networks and enhanced cooperation with international law enforcement agencies.The DGP specifically referred to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Operation Hard Ball, which he said had delivered a significant setback to gangster networks.
Narco-Terrorism and Drone-Based Smuggling Remain Major Challenges
While defending the police’s performance, Yadav acknowledged that Punjab continued to face complex security challenges because of its geographical location along the international border with Pakistan.
He identified several emerging threats requiring sustained attention:
Narco-terrorism: Drug trafficking networks are allegedly being used to finance and support subversive activities.
Drone-based smuggling: Increasing use of technology for cross-border smuggling has made surveillance and interception more challenging.
Social media recruitment: Online platforms are reportedly being used to approach young people and draw them into subversive activities through financial incentives.
Diversion of pharmaceutical drugs: Habit-forming medicines manufactured in other states are allegedly entering Punjab through supply networks.
Yadav said young people were sometimes offered amounts as low as ₹5,000 to participate in activities linked to subversive networks.He also raised concerns about the movement of habit-forming pharmaceutical drugs manufactured in Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat into Punjab.
Emphasising the need for stronger inter-state coordination, he called for regulatory authorities and law enforcement agencies to work together to prevent the diversion and illegal distribution of such medicines.
Punjab Police Emphasises Coordination With Central Agencies
Yadav maintained that safeguarding Punjab’s security required close coordination between state police units and central investigative and security agencies.
He stressed that the campaign against narcotics, organised crime and terror networks would depend on sustained enforcement, intelligence-sharing and professional investigation.
His comments come amid an ongoing political debate over the law and order situation in Punjab, with the state government and opposition parties offering contrasting assessments of the security environment.
Reiterating the police’s commitment to tackling drug traffickers and gangster networks, the DGP said the force’s performance should be assessed through crime statistics and measurable enforcement outcomes.
His central message was that professional policing, operational independence and coordination with central agencies remain essential to protecting the peace and security Punjab has worked hard to restore.
