Chandigarh: Former Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar on Monday challenged the Punjab government to make public the report of its statewide drug survey, IANS reported. All of the claims that follow are Jakhar's allegations, made at a media interaction in Chandigarh; they have not been independently verified, and the Punjab government and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had not issued a formal response at the time of the reports cited here.

Source: IANS

Jakhar alleged that AAP's real objective in the survey was to study Punjab's drug trade from a commercial perspective so that it could take control of the illicit business, IANS reported. He claimed Rs 250 crore had been spent on the exercise, 28,000 employees had been deployed and 65 lakh families had been covered, yet the report was nowhere to be seen. 'Where is the report?' he asked, according to IANS. Jakhar alleged the strategy came from AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia rather than Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Source: IANS

Connecting the survey to pharmaceutical drugs, Jakhar cited a statement he attributed to Punjab's Director General of Police that pharmaceutical substances now account for 80 per cent of substance abuse in the state, and alleged the government had drawn up a plan to take control of that supply chain as well. He further alleged that a drug inspector caught with substantial sums linked to corruption had been brought into the government's fold, reinstated and appointed Drug Controller. These are Jakhar's allegations, reported by IANS and Nation Press, not findings established by any inquiry cited here.

Source: Nation Press

Jakhar also referred to the 2023 seizure of 4 kg of heroin by Nathana police station, in which, he said, a man identified as Harry, then lodged in Ferozepur jail, had emerged as the principal accused. According to Jakhar, Harry had been sentenced to 20 years in an Abohar murder case and faced seven other cases. Jakhar alleged the government facilitated Harry's parole in 2024 through the Fazilka Deputy Commissioner and Senior Superintendent of Police, after which he absconded and reached Dubai, and claimed Harry was now running drug trafficking and extortion operations from Abohar to Ludhiana while police had closed his file. All of these claims are Jakhar's allegations.

Source: IANS

As a third link, Jakhar referred to constable Karam Singh, associated with the 'Baaz' anti-drone system, saying 25 kg of heroin had been recovered from him and that he had admitted to arranging another 24 consignments — again, as stated by Jakhar. He questioned whether the constable had acted alone or whether senior officers were also involved, and cited Narcotics Control Bureau seizures from sarpanches and leaders allegedly associated with AAP in the border region. Nation Press reported that the Punjab government and AAP had not issued an official response to the allegations at the time of publication and that it had sought their comment.

Source: Nation Press