Gujarat assembly: Amid debate over drugs, minister compares state’s crime rate with Punjab, Kerala

Gandhinagar, Feb 25 (PTI) The Gujarat assembly witnessed a heated debate on Wednesday after AAP MLA Hemant Ahir raised concerns over drug seizures in Jamnagar and Kutch districts, prompting the law minister to compare the state’s crime rates with Punjab and Kerala.

Replying to Ahir’s query, Law and Justice Minister Kaushik Vekariya said that in the last two years, 135 cases had been registered in both districts under the NDPS Act. Legal action was taken against 306 individuals, and drugs worth over Rs 244 crore were seized, he said.

Vekariya was speaking on behalf of Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, who handles the Home portfolio.

The law minister said Gujarat’s 1,600-km coastline and its proximity to the international maritime boundary make the western state vulnerable to drug trafficking through the sea route. However, coordinated efforts between central agencies and the Gujarat police have led to major seizures, he said.

“These are not just statistics; they reflect the daring operations by our police officers who risk their lives in pitch-dark nights to seize these consignments,” he said.

Referring to a National Crime Records Bureau 2023 report, he said that “Gujarat registered 561 crimes with a crime rate of 0.8”, which he claimed was the lowest in the country, without giving more details.

In comparison, he said, “Punjab registered over 11,500 crimes with a crime rate of 37.6 per cent, while Kerala recorded 30,697 crimes with a crime rate of 85.7 per cent”, he claimed. The AAP is in power in Punjab, while the Left Democratic Front (LDF) governs Kerala.

When AAP MLAs protested the minister’s remarks about Punjab, Vekariya said the Opposition should be prepared to listen. “I have not made any political remarks. They should be prepared to listen. I haven’t even named any government,” Vekariya said.

While Speaker Shankar Chaudhary urged members not to turn the issue into a Punjab-versus-Gujarat debate, Ahir said it was Vekariya who opened the scope for a comparison of both states.

“If we congratulate the Gujarat police, then we should also congratulate the Punjab police when drugs are caught in that state. I would like to know what action has been taken against the ships that brought the drugs, and are property confiscation proceedings being carried out against those involved?” he asked.

Replying to the question, Vekariya said that in the Kutch district alone, 125 demolitions had been carried out against illegal properties linked to drug cases.

“Our bulldozers have razed illegal constructions spread over 26,000 square metres and assets worth Rs 32.2 crore have been confiscated,” he said.

Vekariya also informed the House that the state had operationalised an Anti-Narcotics Task Force under the CID (Criminal Investigation Department) Crime’s NDPS cell in 2025-26, with offices in six zones and 213 sanctioned posts.

“In the last two years, 1,646 crimes have been registered statewide and around 41,000 kg of drugs worth Rs 3,727 crore have been seized,” he said.

Joining the discussion, Harsh Sanghavi added that in one case in Kutch, a house from where drugs were recovered was demolished and converted into a police station. The minister said he would inaugurate the police station shortly.

He said Gujarat was the first state to conduct a “top-to-bottom” investigation beyond its borders, citing a joint operation with the Odisha Special Task Force against major ganja suppliers known as the Pandi brothers. Luxury cars, mansions and farmhouses belonging to them were seized and would be auctioned, he said.

Congress MLA Amit Chavda said it is a matter of great concern that Gujarat is becoming a landing and consumption hub, and cases of open Ganja cultivation are also surfacing. The state Congress president sought to know how many of those arrested were the actual masterminds behind the drug networks rather than street-level peddlers.

Sanghavi said investigations targeted the entire supply chain, from cultivators and interstate suppliers to transporters and local distributors. PTI PJT PD NR