Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday (October 21, 2026) said that narcotics threaten future generations and provide financial support to organisations involved in anti-national activities as he asked police forces across the country to ensure the drug menace is eliminated by the end of 2029.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a deadline of December 31, 2029, to make India drugs-free.
Paying homage to police martyrs at the National Police Memorial (NPM) on Police Commemoration Day, Mr. Shah said the remaining months of 2026, along with 2027, 2028 and 2029, would be devoted to a united fight against drugs.
He described the target as a major national priority, warning that drug abuse threatens future generations, places an undue burden on the economy and provides financial support to organisations involved in anti-national activities.
Police forces across the country should work towards the government’s goal of a drug-free India, he said, stressing the campaign was essential to protect the country’s future generations.
The Minister noted that the country has eliminated decades of Naxalism by March 31, 2026, crediting Chhattisgarh Police, the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and CoBRA for their role in combating insurgency.
Mr. Shah said more than 3,600 security personnel and approximately 13,700 civilians had been killed in violence associated with Naxalism between 1981 and March 2026.
He praised the CRPF, its CoBRA battalion and the Chhattisgarh Police for their efforts in combating Naxalism.
Mr. Shah said CAPF personnel, while staying away from their families, remain vigilant and strengthen the nation’s internal security on every occasion, whether during elections, festivals, protests or border security duties.
Security personnel achieved a significant success by ensuring that West Bengal elections were completed without a single fatality, establishing a new benchmark, the Union Home Minister said.
Shah presided over the annual event, which included a joint parade of Central Armed Police Forces and Delhi Police.
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The annual function is organised in remembrance of 10 police personnel killed in an ambush by heavily armed Chinese troops at Hot Springs in Ladakh on October 21, 1959.
The minister also flagged off a motorcycle rally themed “Fight Against Drugs” involving about 90 police riders from several states and union territories, Central Armed Police Forces and other central police organisations.
“Fight Against Drugs” is part of a nationwide initiative in which riders from across India will travel to Ekta Nagar in Gujarat to participate in the Ekta Parade on October 31, an official statement said.
Earlier, Director, Intelligence Bureau Mahesh Dixit said that last year 154 police personnel laid down their lives in the line of duty, while 36,852 police personnel have made the supreme sacrifice since Independence.
The IB Chief said that, as per the recommendation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the DGP conference, CAPFs/CPOs will organise various commemorative events at NPM from October 22 to 30.
All police forces across the country will organise similar programmes during this period, he said.
The Home Minister said India had succeeded in eliminating electoral violence in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, but electoral violence had continued in West Bengal for a long time.
He said that during the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections, security personnel achieved a significant success by ensuring that the elections were completed without a single fatality.
In doing so, the Central Armed Police Forces had established a new benchmark, he said and added that the entire country now recognises that electoral violence has been brought to an end in the nation.
The Home Minister said peace has now been established in all three major hotspots — Kashmir, the Northeast and the areas affected by Left-Wing Extremism.
An environment conducive to development has emerged in these regions, and they are now ready to compete with the rest of the country in terms of development, he said.
Mr. Shah said that significant success had been achieved in curbing terrorism in Kashmir. He said the entire Northeast has moved forward on the path of peace following several agreements and the surrender of arms by thousands of people.
Recalling the history of Police Commemoration Day, Shah said a study of the Hot Springs incident makes it clear that when the battle was decided in the high-altitude mountains, the outcome was almost certain.
“Yet, these immortal heroes remained steadfast in their resolve that not even an inch of the country’s land should fall into foreign hands, making the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. Since then, October 21 has been observed every year as Police Commemoration Day,” he said.
Mr. Shah said the National Police Memorial, where they were gathered, was inaugurated in 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in honour of police personnel who had laid down their lives across the country.
Addressing the families of the martyrs, the Home Minister said that while their loss could never be compensated, the entire nation of 1.4 billion citizens remains grateful for the dedication and sacrifice of their families.
“No one can even imagine where we would stand today if these personnel had not made the supreme sacrifice to safeguard the country’s internal security and protect its borders,” he said.
Published – October 21, 2026 06:25 pm IST
