Punjab drug crisis: 5 deaths in 18 days expose AAP's failed war on drugs
Synopsis
Five drug overdose deaths in a single Mohali colony within 18 days — including a mother who lost both sons — have become the BJP's sharpest indictment yet of AAP's Punjab governance. With Kejriwal's three-month eradication promise long expired, the human cost of undelivered pledges is now measured in families, not just statistics.
Key Takeaways
Five young men died of drug overdose within 18 days in Mohali's Amb Sahib Colony .
Punjab BJP President Kewal Singh Dhillon declared the AAP government's anti-drug campaign a complete failure on 30 July .
One mother reportedly lost both sons to drug addiction; another woman was widowed with two young children.
Arvind Kejriwal had promised to eradicate drugs in Punjab within three months of taking power — a pledge critics say has not been met.
Dhillon alleged that drug traffickers enjoy administrative and political patronage , citing threats against families who spoke out.
BJP called for a robust policy framework over publicity campaigns to address the crisis.
Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Kewal Singh Dhillon on 30 July launched a sharp attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, declaring that the ruling party's widely publicised anti-drug campaign had collapsed entirely, as five young men died of drug overdoses within 18 days in Mohali's Amb Sahib Colony.
The Deaths Behind the Numbers
The five fatalities, all recorded within a single colony in Mohali, have put a human face on what critics argue is a deepening public health emergency. Among the cases, one mother reportedly lost both her sons to drug addiction. In another, a woman was left to raise two young children alone after her husband died of drug abuse.
'These are not merely statistics but shattered families whose lives have been devastated because the government failed to fulfil its promises,' Dhillon said.
BJP's Charge Against AAP
Dhillon pointed directly at AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, who had promised voters before the Punjab elections that the drug menace would be eradicated within three months of the party coming to power. Critics argue the situation has deteriorated rather than improved since then.
'Punjab's youth are losing their lives every single day,' Dhillon said, adding that the AAP government's so-called promise of 'change' had come at a heavy cost and had set the state back by several years.
Allegations of Political Patronage
Dhillon alleged that drug-affected families and ordinary citizens who raised their voices against traffickers were being threatened — a pattern he said clearly pointed to administrative and political patronage shielding the drug trade. He said public faith in the system had eroded so severely that grieving families were being forced to put up posters to sell their homes and stage street protests.
The BJP leader argued that the rising number of drug-related deaths and growing public anger were direct evidence of a governance failure under the current state administration.
What Needs to Change, According to BJP
Dhillon asserted that dismantling the drug menace would require strong leadership and a robust policy framework — not publicity drives and government advertisements. He expressed solidarity with bereaved families and called for accountability from the state government.
With Punjab's drug crisis drawing renewed national attention, pressure is mounting on the AAP government to move beyond campaign promises and demonstrate measurable outcomes on the ground.
Point of View
But they also expose a structural failure that predates AAP. Punjab's drug crisis has persisted across governments, which makes Kejriwal's three-month promise — always implausible — look less like a broken pledge and more like a symptom of how parties treat the issue as an election prop rather than a governance challenge. Dhillon's allegations of political patronage for traffickers are serious and deserve independent scrutiny, not just partisan amplification. The real accountability question is whether any government in Chandigarh has ever built the enforcement infrastructure — from de-addiction capacity to supply-chain interdiction — that the scale of the crisis demands.
NationPress
31 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in Mohali's Amb Sahib Colony?
Five young men died of drug overdose in Mohali's Amb Sahib Colony within a span of 18 days, according to Punjab BJP President Kewal Singh Dhillon. The deaths have intensified criticism of the AAP government's handling of the state's drug crisis.
What did Arvind Kejriwal promise about drugs in Punjab?
Arvind Kejriwal, AAP's national convener, had promised before coming to power in Punjab that the drug menace would be eradicated within three months. Critics, including the BJP, argue the situation has worsened rather than improved since then.
What allegations has the BJP made against the AAP government?
Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon has alleged that drug traffickers enjoy administrative and political patronage, pointing to reports that families who spoke out against traffickers were threatened. He called this a sign of governance failure under the AAP administration.
Who is Kewal Singh Dhillon?
Kewal Singh Dhillon is the President of the Punjab unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He has been a vocal critic of the AAP government's record on law and order and the drug menace in Punjab.
What solution does the BJP propose for Punjab's drug crisis?
Dhillon stated that the drug menace can only be addressed through strong leadership and a robust policy framework, and not through publicity campaigns and advertisements, which he accused the AAP government of relying on.
