Major Action against Two Unauthorized De-addiction Centers in Shahkot Area

Jalandhar News: Under the Punjab government’s ongoing ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign, another major operation was carried out in Jalandhar today jointly by the Civil and Police administration.

Led by Deputy Commissioner Dr. Himanshu Aggarwal and SSP Harvinder Singh Virk, teams from the civil administration and district rural police raided two unauthorized de-addiction centers operating in the Shahkot area and rescued 76 individuals. Acting on the directions of the DC and SSP, joint teams from the civil, police, and health departments inspected an unauthorized de-addiction center being run by the Baba Deep Singh Welfare Society in village Dhandwal (under Shahkot police station), where 47 individuals were rescued. A case has been registered against the property owner and members of the society, and investigations have begun.

In another operation, at the Turning Point De-addiction Center in village Bajwa Kalan, 29 individuals were rescued and a case was registered at Shahkot police station, followed by further investigation. Similarly, other de-addiction centers in and around Shahkot city were inspected and verified.

Dr. Himanshu Aggarwal shared that police investigations revealed that individuals at these illegal centers were kept in captivity, subjected to physical abuse, and some were forcibly confined for over seven months. He emphasized that cases have been filed against the property owners and society members, and investigations are underway. The Deputy Commissioner stressed the Punjab government’s zero-tolerance policy toward drugs, stating that the Jalandhar administration is fully committed to eradicating drug abuse from the district.
He said that along with strict action against illegal de-addiction centers, attention is also being given to the rehabilitation of drug-dependent individuals. He assured that continuous surveillance will be conducted to shut down unauthorized de-addiction centers in the district. Dr. Aggarwal also mentioned that earlier under the same campaign, the district administration took action against illegal de-addiction centers in Jamsher and Samrai, rescuing 34 and 103 individuals, respectively.
He urged residents to use the district’s De-addiction Helpline Number: 0181-2911969 for assistance or information. Additionally, people can share any drug-related activities with the Punjab government via WhatsApp Helpline: 9779-100-200. He assured that the identity of informants would be kept confidential.
SSP Harvinder Singh Virk warned that strict legal action will be taken against anyone or any organization running unauthorized de-addiction centers. He stated that such centers not only violate the law but also endanger the lives of patients. No one will be allowed to take the law into their own hands, and the strictest possible action will be taken against anyone involved in illegal activities.
This operation was conducted under the leadership of SP (Investigation) Sarabjit Rai, DSP Sub-Division Shahkot Onkar Singh Brar, Tehsildar Harminder Singh Sidhu, SMO Chander Deepak, Drug Inspector Dr. Lajwinder Kumar, Psychiatrist Dr. Abhairaj Singh, Dr. Rajdeep Kaur, and Dr. Taranjit, among others.