Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday, 18 October 2026, launched a sharp attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, accusing it of pushing the state into the “abyss of drugs” and resulting in numerous families losing their children. Shah announced that he will personally meet the families of individuals killed for speaking out against the drug trade in Mansa, Sangrur, and Gurdaspur on 20 October.

What Shah Said

In a post on his official X account, Shah said: “The AAP government has spared no effort in pushing Punjab into the abyss of drugs, as a result of which numerous families have had to lose their children.” He added that “the grief these families have endured cannot be expressed in words.”

Shah further asserted that attempts to suppress voices rising against the drug trade would never succeed, and that the people of Punjab would deliver a “resounding response” to those responsible.

Centre’s Crackdown Pledge

The Home Minister also made a pointed commitment from the Union government, saying the Centre would “handpick drug peddlers and send them behind bars” and would continue its efforts “until the entire country, including Punjab, is freed from this drug trade.” The statement signals an escalated federal posture toward the narcotics network operating in the state.

Visits to Three Districts on October 20

Shah’s planned visits to Mansa, Sangrur, and Gurdaspur on Tuesday, 20 October, are expected to centre on consoling bereaved families and reiterating the Centre’s resolve to dismantle the drug network. The choice of these three districts is significant — all three have been repeatedly flagged as hotspots in Punjab’s long-running drug crisis.

Background: Punjab’s Drug Menace

The statement comes against a backdrop of deepening concern over the narcotics trade in Punjab, where several anti-drug activists and individuals who publicly opposed drug peddlers have reportedly been killed in recent months. Critics argue that the AAP government, which swept to power in the state in 2022 partly on a strong anti-drug plank, has failed to deliver on its core electoral promise. The BJP, led federally by Shah, has increasingly sought to hold AAP accountable on this issue in the run-up to political contests.

This is not the first time Shah has trained his attention on Punjab’s drug problem — the Home Minister has previously called for stricter enforcement and greater Centre-state coordination in tackling the cross-border narcotics supply chain. Whether Sunday’s announcement translates into sustained operational pressure on peddlers, or remains a political gesture, will be closely watched.