Punjab Police Ask Centre to Amend Drugs Act, List Pregabalin Under NDPSਪੰਜਾਬ ਪੁਲਿਸ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਕੇਂਦਰ ਤੋਂ ਡਰੱਗਜ਼ ਐਕਟ 'ਚ ਸੋਧ ਅਤੇ ਪ੍ਰੈਗਾਬਾਲਿਨ ਨੂੰ ਐੱਨਡੀਪੀਐੱਸ 'ਚ ਪਾਉਣ ਦੀ ਮੰਗ

Punjab Police have asked the Centre to amend the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, to give police joint powers with drug inspectors against the illegal sale of habit-forming pills, DGP Gaurav Yadav said on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, after the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa.

What the DGP asked for

Speaking at the 67th Police Commemoration Day at the Punjab Armed Police grounds in Jalandhar, Yadav said police want authority to handle cases that are currently vested only with drug inspectors. He also called for habit-forming drugs such as Pregabalin to be brought under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, where, reports say, offences are harder to get bail in.

Why now

Jhota was shot dead inside a Mansa medical store on 13 October after, his family says, he confronted a chemist over illegal pill sales; the CBI has since taken over the case. Yadav said a recent anti-drug meeting of police and civil administration discussed at length the problem of pharmaceutical drugs, and that he has written to neighbouring and other states about supply lines, according to HT and Tri-Cities India.

Punjab government's stand

A day earlier, Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh and Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said Punjab had written to the Centre on 31 October 2025 and 21 September 2026 seeking inclusion of medicines such as Pregabalin in the NDPS schedule, and accused the Centre of not responding. These are the state government's claims; the Centre has not been quoted in the reports reviewed.

Frequently asked: what changes if the law is amended?

Police could act directly against chemists and suppliers, instead of waiting for drug inspectors, and NDPS listing would mean stricter prosecution.

What did the DGP say about Pregabalin?

He said Pregabalin should be moved under the NDPS Act, as it is now regulated as a pharmacy drug.

Has the Centre agreed?

Not as of 21 October 2026. No central decision has been reported.