Enforcement Directorate Weighs Punjab Drug Probe Amid Political Row

The Enforcement Directorate is looking into drug cases in Punjab to check the money trail while the Bharatiya Janata Party pushes for central agencies to step in. The Union home ministry has also asked for a report from the Aam Aadmi Party state government as the issue heats up before the assembly elections early next year. The BJP has promised to make Punjab drug-free by December 2029 if it wins power.

Investigations

Sources note that the ED is informally reviewing major drug trade cases and related deaths in the state without having filed a money laundering case yet. Officials are deciding whether to launch formal probes or look into separate cases independently. The agency has previously investigated former Punjab police officer Jagdish Bhola in a synthetic narcotics racket and looked into a Fazilka drug case involving Congress lawmaker Sukhpal Singh Khaira.

Political Clash

Top BJP leaders, including Union home minister Amit Shah and party chief Nitin Nabin, have blamed the Bhagwant Mann government over the drug crisis. Chief minister Mann has hit back, accusing the Union government of trying to defame Punjab over drugs instead of stopping the supply coming through Gujarat's ports. The home ministry previously sent three letters to Punjab's chief secretary over the October 13 killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh, also known as Jhota, in Mansa, and the murder of Bikramjit Singh in Batala. The letters also asked for details on a Dalit man's suicide following a public argument with state minister Harpal Singh Cheema in Sangrur on September 8. The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed a case in the Jhota murder and sent a team to Mansa after Shah criticised the state government. Shah also urged the state to hand over the other two cases to the CBI and met the families of all three men during a day-long visit.

Context

Drug trade investigations often involve tracing financial flows to uncover how illegal profits are moved and hidden by criminal networks. Central agencies like the ED step in when financial crimes cross state borders or involve large sums of money tied to illegal operations.