In a recent submission to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Director (Bureau of Investigation) of the state police department, LK Yadav, revealed alarming statistics regarding drug-related fatalities in Punjab. According to the report, Punjab recorded 266 deaths due to overdoses of narcotic and psychotropic substances from April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2023. The breakdown indicated 36 deaths in 2020-21, 71 in 2021-22, and a staggering 159 in the most recent year, ending March 31, 2023.
This revelation came in response to a directive from the High Court in connection with a petition filed by one Nidhi from Jalandhar. The court had instructed the Bureau of Investigation, Punjab, to furnish an affidavit detailing the total number of deaths resulting from narcotic drug and psychotropic substance overdoses during the mentioned period.
