Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh-
In a scathing indictment of the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government’s much-touted anti-drug campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’, Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, on Thursday lashed out at Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over the shocking theft of nearly 11,000 buprenorphine tablets — a narcotic-grade drug used in pain relief and de-addiction therapy — from the Moga Civil Hospital.
Calling the incident a “complete collapse of governance”, Bajwa said the stolen stock, valued at around Rs 7 lakh, is not just a financial loss but a potential catastrophe for public safety, as the drug — commonly used as a heroin substitute by addicts — is now likely circulating in Punjab’s illegal drug market.
“This theft has blown the lid off the AAP government’s hollow claims of a drug-free Punjab. While the Chief Minister is busy making tall promises, hospitals under his administration are being looted of narcotics. This is not anti-drug governance — this is negligence of the highest order,” Bajwa said.
Highlighting shocking lapses in security, the Senior Congress leader revealed that the hospital store from which the buprenorphine tablets were stolen had no CCTV surveillance and no security guards — a gross dereliction of duty in the handling of controlled substances.
“This isn’t an isolated case. Similar thefts were reported from Barnala last year. These are not coincidences but signs of a systemic failure — possibly even collusion within the Health Department,” Bajwa added, demanding a thorough and impartial investigation into the matter.
Bajwa accused the Mann government of running an anti-drug campaign only on paper, pointing out that it has repeatedly missed its own deadlines to make Punjab drug-free.
“The Chief Minister’s claims have turned out to be empty rhetoric. The reality is grim — Punjab’s de-addiction supply chain stands compromised, accountability is missing, and the illegal drug trade continues to flourish under this government’s apathy,” Bajwa asserted.
Urging immediate corrective action, Bajwa called on the state government to secure all medical storage units containing narcotic-grade substances, enforce strict monitoring mechanisms, and ensure real-time tracking of de-addiction drugs to prevent their diversion into the black market.