Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has expanded its anti-drug campaign by recommending the cancellation of 116 passports linked to alleged narcotics smugglers, as authorities intensify enforcement measures under the Union Territory’s ongoing “Nasha Mukt J&K Abhiyaan”.
According to a report by The Indian Express, 94 of the passport cancellation recommendations are from Jammu and 22 from Kashmir. The move comes amid a broader crackdown that has combined narcotics enforcement with the administration’s framing of drug trafficking as part of a larger “narco-terror” network operating in the region.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who has led public outreach events tied to the campaign, said proceeds from narcotics trafficking were being used to finance militant activity. Speaking during a padayatra in Shopian attended by around 50,000 people, Sinha said: “terrorist groups use proceeds from drugs to buy weapons”.
The anti-drug campaign, launched on April 11 as a 100-day initiative, has expanded significantly over the past month. Earlier figures reported by WION showed that during the campaign’s first phase, authorities registered 614 FIRs under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and arrested 646 people in connection with narcotics-related offences. Officials also identified 160 drug hotspots and reported seizures of heroin, charas and ganja, alongside the destruction of poppy cultivation.
More recent data published by International Business Times indicates a further escalation in enforcement activity. According to the report, authorities have now registered around 850 NDPS cases and arrested more than 940 individuals. The administration has also apprehended 293 alleged drug peddlers and intensified financial investigations linked to narcotics networks.
Enforcement measures have increasingly targeted assets and civic documentation associated with accused traffickers.
IBTimes reported that authorities have sealed or demolished 55 properties linked to alleged drug traffickers, while 71 immovable properties worth approximately Rs46 crore have been seized or attached. Additional demolitions and seizures involving movable assets have also been carried out.
Administrative action has extended beyond arrests and property seizures. According to the same report, authorities have suspended or cancelled 414 driving licences, acted against drugstore licences, and initiated more than 1,200 Aadhaar cancellation applications alongside passport impoundment proceedings.
The administration has simultaneously expanded surveillance and rehabilitation efforts. WION reported that inspections were conducted at thousands of chemist shops, schools and hospitals, while CCTV systems were installed at identified vulnerable locations. Government-run treatment facilities have also reported a rise in patient admissions linked to substance abuse treatment.
According to figures cited by IBTimes, more than 58,000 individuals have visited addiction treatment facilities during the campaign period, while counselling support services under Tele-MANAS handled thousands of calls related to mental health and substance abuse.
Officials have framed the campaign as a “whole-of-government” response involving law enforcement, health services and public outreach programmes. Government figures cited by IBTimes state that more than one crore people participated in awareness drives conducted across Jammu and Kashmir through rallies, school campaigns, padayatras and community outreach events.
The campaign’s expanding use of administrative penalties, including passport cancellations and document restrictions, is likely to draw scrutiny over due process and the growing overlap between narcotics enforcement and broader security governance frameworks in the Union Territory.
