HAVING battled the menace of drug trafficking, primarily hashish and opium, in the Kullu-Manali valley for the past three decades, Himachal Pradesh is facing a major challenge to curb the sale and addiction of chitta, or adulterated heroin, and other synthetic drugs — mirroring the crisis in neighbouring Punjab.
Chitta is a white or brownish powder made from diacetylmorphine (heroin) and laced with toxic chemicals. Commonly known as brown sugar, smack, or synthetic heroin, it is highly addictive, relatively cheap, and more dangerously, rapidly spreading among students and youth.
The state’s battle against synthetic drugs began in earnest in 2016, when the first official recovery of chitta was registered in Una district. Since then, the problem has escalated into an uphill struggle that threatens the future of the state’s youth.
Official data from the Home Department presented in the Vidhan Sabha confirmed 66 registered cases of death by overdose, including women, over the last three years, though the actual number of unreported fatalities due to societal stigma is likely to be much higher.
Statewide clampdown
The state government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy against drug syndicates, and even within its own ranks. It has established the involvement of 123 government employees, of which 21 police personnel and 10 administrative employees have been dismissed from service. Going a step further, on May 12, a drug test was made mandatory for any candidate seeking a government job.
Since 2023, the state has witnessed a massive spike in enforcement activities under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. According to the police, as many as 6,811 cases have been registered under the Act during this period, with the arrest of 10,357 accused persons. Over 45,860 kg of narcotic substances, including chitta, have also been seized.
Citing the reasons behind the surge of the chitta menace in the state, ADGP (CID) Gyaneshwar Singh stated that while chitta is not produced in Himachal, it is being trafficked through interstate routes. He said the rapid spread is fuelled by youth curiosity and peer pressure; unemployment and socio-economic stress; low cost, easy availability in small packets, and promotion via social media.
The highest-risk districts are Shimla, Kangra, Una, Solan, and Mandi.
According to ADGP Singh, extensive operations are being carried out to dismantle the drug trafficking networks. “Key drug kingpins and suppliers are being identified and arrested by establishing backward and forward linkages as well as through financial and digital investigations. Over the past few years, the police have been successful in dismantling major drug trafficking networks, arresting several interstate kingpins from Punjab, Haryana, India-Pakistan border, Indo-Nepal border and several other states,” he pointed out.
The ADGP said the “state police constantly remains in touch and coordinates with its neighbouring counterparts; regular meetings at the SP and DIG level are held to ensure collective efforts to dismantle interstate drug trafficking networks”.
People’s movement
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu launched an Anti-Chitta Awareness Campaign on November 15, 2025, aiming to make Himachal “chitta-free”. An Anti-Chitta Walkathon was organised from The Ridge, Shimla, to make people from all walks of life actively participate in the fight against drugs.
Thousands of people, including children, public representatives and government officials, participated in the walkathon, sending a clear message of a relentless battle to eradicate the menace in the hill state. During the event, an oath was administered, urging people to stay away from drugs and addictive substances. Similar walkathons were organised across the state.
Along with mass awareness campaigns, the state police also launched a crackdown on drug trafficking networks. Under this drive, around 12,000 individuals have been identified, and special police and CID surveillance has been activated in 234 highly- sensitive panchayats across the state.
The police have also undertaken the exercise of identifying the worst-affected panchayats by placing them in the red, yellow and green categories. Of the total 234 panchayats falling in the worst-affected red category, 28 are in Kullu district, followed by 27 in Bilaspur, 26 in Police District Baddi, 24 in Mandi, 22 in Nurpur, 20 in Sirmaur, 19 in Shimla, 15 in Kangra, 14 in Hamirpur, 13 in Chamba, 10 in Una, nine in Solan and seven under Police District Dehra.
To ensure that these panchayats are free from the drug menace, a special deployment of police and CID personnel has been made to maintain strict surveillance and curb drug-related activities. Many panchayats have also announced a boycott of drug traffickers and users.
The police have also detained 174 drug traffickers under the PIT-NDPS (Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act. Since the launch of the campaign, the Special Task Force (STF) of Himachal Pradesh Police has examined over 700 cases and identified 300 of these for financial investigation and freezing of property.
Assets worth Rs 8.53 crore have been frozen and 76 illegal properties have been identified; demolition and eviction action has been taken in 17 cases. Since 2023, the government has seized illegal assets worth nearly Rs 51 crore, while property worth Rs 8.53 has been seized since the launch of the Anti-Chitta Awareness Campaign.
Key directives for phase II
Chief Minister Sukhu recently announced that the Congress government will be launching the second phase of its massive Anti-Chitta Awareness Campaign from June 1 to August 20 in all government schools and colleges across the state. The announcement was made during a Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) meeting, held under the chairmanship of the CM, on May 11.
To ensure commitment at the top level, the state will now include numerical grading in the Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs) of Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs), directly tying their career progression to their performance in tackling the drug menace. The DCs have been asked to convene regular meetings regarding the anti-chitta campaign so that the menace can be eradicated in Himachal.
The government is also enforcing regular checks on pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution. Any diversion of prescription drugs into the illegal market will result in immediate cancellation of retail licences and criminal prosecution, according to the government directions.
Administrative and police officers have been tasked with personally visiting at least 10 educational institutions in their jurisdiction to educate students about the perils of substance abuse.
To accelerate legal proceedings, forensic laboratories have been ordered to clear and prepare drug analysis reports within five days of seizure.
The authorities have been directed to demolish illegally encroached properties belonging to chitta smugglers. One such demolition drive was recently undertaken in Jwali area of Kangra district.
Rehab strategy
Transitioning from enforcement to empathy, the state is establishing dedicated rehabilitation centres at Mashobra (Shimla) and at Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (Tanda) to help victims of drug addiction reintegrate into society. Last year, an amount of Rs 5.34 crore was sanctioned for construction of a 100-bed de-addiction centre at Kotla Barog in Sirmaur district. Work is also underway to establish five new drug de-addiction centres in Solan, Mandi, Sirmaur, Chamba and Lahaul-Spiti districts.
An official said counselling and early intervention is being provided at 108 new ‘Disha’ centres in health institutions across the state where ASHA workers, doctors and psychiatrists are being specially trained. Currently, four de-addiction and rehabilitation centres for men are operational in Kullu, Una, Hamirpur and Kangra, while a separate centre for women is being run by the Red Cross Society in Kullu.