3 min readSrinagarMay 10, 2026 05:44 PM IST
From sermons in mosques warning against the dangers of drug abuse to bulldozers tearing down residential and commercial buildings linked to alleged drug peddlers and the publication of “rogue galleries” featuring the photos and names of “traffickers”, the Jammu and Kashmir administration’s 100-day Nasha Mukt Jammu and Kashmir (Drug-free Jammu and Kashmir) campaign has had an eventful first 30 days.
These 30 days, the J&K Police arrested hundreds of alleged drug peddlers and registered as many cases. According to numbers released by the Kashmir Divisional Commissioner, since the launch of the campaign on April 11, the J&K Police arrested 444 alleged drug peddlers in the Kashmir Valley and registered 441 FIRs under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in the same period.
The challenge of drug addiction can be eradicated only through a Whole of Society Approach. From now on, every corner of UT, whether schools, colleges, families, sports grounds, wards, villages, or theater stages, should give a voice to the cause with firm resolve. pic.twitter.com/ri46vw9E8S
— Office of LG J&K (@OfficeOfLGJandK) May 9, 2026
The figures further revealed that 378 kg of contraband substances have been recovered in the Valley in the first 30 days of the campaign. The government also said it destroyed poppy cultivation in over 165 kanals (a little over 20 acres) of land in the Valley. The highest number of NDPS cases, 108, were registered in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, where police have also seized 22 vehicles and cancelled eight driving licences and vehicle registrations.
“People’s fight against narcotics in Kashmir is being strengthened through coordinated enforcement and community action…,” the Divisional Commissioner said in a post on X, adding, “Kashmir has spoken (that) drugs have no place in our society.”
Over the last 10 days, the J&K government has demolished at least 10 residential and commercial buildings of alleged drug traffickers. Police have also seized assets worth crores.
While the government has taken a tough legal and punitive stand against the people allegedly involved in drug trafficking in the Valley, it has also launched a massive awareness campaign in schools and residential neighbourhoods.
For the first time, the government roped in religious leaders and institutions like mosques to create social awareness against the danger of drug use.
Officials said that since April 11, over 4,000 mosques and religious institutions, including shrines, madrassas and seminaries, have been involved in the awareness and outreach campaign. The campaign was also attended by around 1,000 religious leaders.
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While the people have welcomed the campaign against drug use and drug peddlers, there have also been concerns raised against some police action, such as the demolition of residences. J&K Health Minister Sakina Itoo has openly criticised police for the demolitions, saying that they are being selectively carried out in the Valley “under the guise” of cracking down on the drug menace.
