Desperate times call for desperate measures. Police have set up `Rogue Galleries’ featuring photographs of drug peddlers to raise public awareness. Pictures of drug peddlers have been uploaded into Face Recognition Cameras for improved surveillance and tracking. The main objectives of displaying the pictures are to alert the public to stay away from these offenders and seek community support to apprehend them so that the drug supply chain is broken. The `Rogue Galleries’ is a new addition to the fight against drugs in Kashmir. Peddlers are on the run. The 100-day Nasha Mukt Jammu and Kashmir campaign is yielding fruit. Since security forces have crushed terror, the drug mafia is now trying to spoil our young generation. Like Punjab, the terror sponsors are now targeting youth to avenge their defeat. Data presented in the Legislative Assembly reveal that over 70,000 people, mostly youth, are involved in substance abuse in Kashmir. Of them, 50,000 are heroin users. The startling figures were based on a joint survey conducted by the Health and Social Welfare departments in 10 districts of Kashmir in 2022. Under the new system, the government is planning to cancel passports, Aadhaar cards, and driving licences of drug smugglers. Individuals involved in drug-related activities will not be granted security clearance for employment. or any other government-related services. This is in addition to property seizures of drug smugglers. Jammu and Kashmir ranks third in attaching the property of drug criminals under the `Proceeds of Narcotics’ provisions. Under these provisions, assets worth ₹70.67 crore have already been attached. In 2025 alone, 259 houses and 111 vehicles were attached, while properties worth another ₹50 crore are pending confirmation. Data presented in the Parliament reveal that drug seizures in Jammu and Kashmir stood at 11,066 kg in 2023, 5,708 kg in 2024, and 4,491 kg in 2025. The fight against drugs cannot be won by law enforcement agencies alone. Society equally needs to contribute to breaking the back of the drug mafia. We must build a Jammu and Kashmir where drugs have no place. Society should ostracize the people involved in drugs. Unless we send a strong message, this menace will not be curbed. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, and DGP Nalin Prabhat deserve kudos for leading the fight from the front. Equally, the foot soldiers on the ground from police and administration are unsung heroes who have performed excellently since the campaign was launched. It is now the turn of community leaders to make their presence felt. Our mohollla committees and mosque administration too need to rise to the occasion and set up special monitoring cells to keep an eye on drug peddlers. They should coordinate with the police and give the final push to the edifice of crime. Let us work together for a drug-free Jammu and Kashmir!
Rogue Galleries
