Punjab razes drug traffickers' illegal structures in Muktsar
Synopsis
The Punjab Government demolished illegal constructions built by drug traffickers in Sri Muktsar Sahib on 18 October 2026 under CM Bhagwant Singh Mann's Yudh Nashian Virudh campaign, reinforcing the state's pledge of zero tolerance against narcotics trafficking.
Key Takeaways
Illegal structures belonging to drug traffickers were demolished in Sri Muktsar Sahib on 18 October 2026 .
The action was carried out under the Yudh Nashian Virudh ('War Against Drugs') campaign led by CM Bhagwant Singh Mann .
Sri Muktsar Sahib is a border district in south-western Punjab with a history of cross-border narcotics smuggling routes.
The AAP government has used property demolitions as a core enforcement tactic since launching the campaign in 2022 .
The state government stated that no one involved in drug trafficking will be spared from action.
Bulldozers moved against drug traffickers in Sri Muktsar Sahib on Sunday, 18 October 2026, as the Chief Minister's Office of Punjab confirmed that illegal constructions linked to narcotics smugglers had been demolished under the state's flagship Yudh Nashian Virudh ('War Against Drugs') campaign. The message from Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann was unambiguous: no one will be spared.
What went down in Sri Muktsar Sahib
The Punjab Government announced that its enforcement teams carried out targeted demolition of illegal construction erected by drug traffickers in Sri Muktsar Sahib, a border district in south-western Punjab long flagged as a pressure point for cross-border narcotics movement. The action falls squarely within the Yudh Nashian Virudh campaign — a state-wide anti-drug offensive the Aam Aadmi Party government has run since coming to power in March 2022.
The official post quoted the government's position directly: 'Suba sarkar vallo nasha taskaaran virudh sakht karvaai jaari hai ate is mamle vich kise nu vi bakhshia nahi jaavega' — 'The State Government continues to take strict action against drug traffickers, and no one involved in such activities will be spared.'
Why Muktsar Sahib keeps appearing in drug-enforcement headlines
Sri Muktsar Sahib sits in the south-western corner of Punjab, within striking distance of routes historically used to funnel narcotics across the international border. For more than two decades, the district has featured repeatedly in state-level seizure records, making it a natural focal point whenever Punjab ramps up enforcement. The proximity to border corridors means traffickers have, over the years, built logistical infrastructure — warehouses, transit structures — that the current administration is now systematically targeting through demolition.
The 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' playbook
When the AAP government took office in 2022, it declared a statewide 'war on drugs' backed by enhanced police powers and a deliberate strategy of using property demolitions as a high-visibility deterrent alongside arrests. The Yudh Nashian Virudh campaign combines enforcement with rehabilitation and awareness pillars, but Sunday's action underlines that the punitive edge remains sharp. Punjab's drug crisis is not a new story — successive state governments have wrestled with it for over two decades — but the current administration has consistently chosen visible, on-the-ground action as its signature response.
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has personally fronted the campaign's public messaging, framing demolitions as a direct economic hit on trafficking networks, not merely a law-and-order gesture.
Point of View
Keeping the enforcement optics loud matters: Punjab's drug crisis has cost previous governments electoral credibility, and visible crackdowns in border-adjacent districts signal that the administration is ahead of the problem. The sustained focus on Sri Muktsar Sahib, however, will invite scrutiny over whether dismantling physical infrastructure translates into durable disruption of trafficking networks, or whether it primarily shifts operations further underground.
NationPress
18 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Yudh Nashian Virudh campaign in Punjab?
'Yudh Nashian Virudh' — meaning 'War Against Drugs' — is Punjab's flagship anti-narcotics campaign launched by the AAP government in 2022, combining police enforcement, property demolitions, rehabilitation programmes, and public awareness drives.
Why was illegal construction demolished in Sri Muktsar Sahib?
The Punjab Government demolished structures illegally built by drug traffickers in Sri Muktsar Sahib as part of the Yudh Nashian Virudh campaign, targeting the physical infrastructure used by narcotics networks in the border district.
Who is leading Punjab's anti-drug drive?
Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has personally fronted the Yudh Nashian Virudh campaign since the AAP government took office in March 2022, framing property demolitions as a direct economic blow to drug trafficking operations.
Why is Sri Muktsar Sahib significant in Punjab's drug problem?
Sri Muktsar Sahib is a south-western border district of Punjab that has historically been linked to cross-border smuggling routes, making it a recurring hotspot in the state's anti-narcotics enforcement operations.
Has Punjab demolished properties of drug traffickers before?
Yes. Since 2022, demolition of properties linked to drug traffickers has been a declared enforcement tactic of the Punjab Government, used alongside arrests to disrupt trafficking networks and serve as a visible public deterrent.
