Union Home Minister Amit Shah is visiting Punjab on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, in what will be his second trip to the state in barely 20 days, with the day expected to put the spotlight firmly on the drug crisis that has become the central battleground in the state's politics.
The visit was announced on Sunday (October 18) by BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu in a post on X. "Punjab welcomes Hon'ble Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah Ji on his visit to Punjab on 20th October," Bittu wrote. "At a time when Punjab is battling the grave menace of drugs, we need decisive action, strong leadership and a firm resolve to secure our youth and our future."
Bittu, a former Union minister, did not share details of the itinerary in his announcement. However, according to the official tour programme released on Monday, Shah will travel to three districts to meet the families of men who died after raising their voices against drug trafficking, before attending a Vijayadashami event in Ludhiana in the evening.
The Home Minister's day is scheduled to begin at Mari Panwan village in the Sri Hargobindpur area of Gurdaspur district at 12:15 pm, where he will meet the family of Vikramjit Singh. He will then travel to Hardam Patti in Toor Banjara village of Sangrur district, where he is scheduled to meet the family of Gulzar Singh at 2:15 pm.
The third stop will be Ward No. 21 on Water Works Road in Mansa at 3:45 pm, where Shah will meet the family of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota.
The three men had reportedly raised their voices against drug trafficking before their deaths, and the killing of Parvinder Singh Jhota in particular has triggered protests and demands for justice across Punjab.
Shah is scheduled to address the media in Ludhiana at 4:30 pm before attending the Vijayadashami celebrations at Ramleela Ground on Daresi Road at 5 pm. The programme includes the symbolic burning of the "Ravana of drugs", linking the traditional Dussehra ritual with the campaign against drug trafficking in Punjab.
The visit comes amid mounting political pressure on the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government over drug-related deaths, organised trafficking and the safety of those campaigning against the menace. The BJP has repeatedly criticised the state government's anti-drug measures, while the Punjab government has maintained that it is pursuing an extensive campaign against drug trafficking.
Shah himself raised the pitch earlier this week. In a post on X on Sunday, he accused the Punjab government of failing to contain the drug problem and alleged that several families had lost their children because of the crisis.
"The AAP government has spared no effort in pushing Punjab into the abyss of drugs, as a result of which numerous families have had to lose their children," he said. Announcing his plans to meet the families, Shah said he would interact with those whose relatives had allegedly been killed for speaking out against drug peddlers operating under the AAP government's patronage.
"The grief these families have endured cannot be expressed in words," the Home Minister said, expressing confidence that attempts to silence those opposing the drug trade would not succeed.
Earlier this week, Shah had also questioned the Bhagwant Mann-led government over the safety of the state's residents, flagging recent incidents in Dirba and Mansa that he said had raised serious questions about the law and order situation in the state. He indicated that the Home Ministry would formally seek responses from the Punjab government on both incidents.
Bittu echoed the attack in his announcement post, alleging that the AAP government had lost its mandate before completing its term and appealing to Punjabis to support Shah and the BJP's mission to make Punjab drug-free. "Let us unite to save Punjab's youth and reclaim Punjab's future," he wrote.
This is Shah's second visit to Punjab in 20 days. He last visited the state on September 30 to address an anti-drug rally in Jalandhar, where he promised to make Punjab free of the illicit 'chitta' (synthetic drug) trade by December 31, 2029. He also said at that rally that the BJP would contest the 2027 state Assembly elections primarily on the drug-free Punjab platform.
The timing of Tuesday's visit is significant as political parties gear up for the 2027 Assembly elections in Punjab. During his visit, Shah is likely to focus on strengthening the BJP's organisation in the state and discussing preparations for the polls, with the drug issue expected to remain the party's sharpest weapon against the ruling AAP.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has responded to the Union Home Minister's remarks in the past, countering that the Border Security Force's jurisdiction extends up to 50 kilometres from the border and arguing that the central government should fulfil its own responsibilities rather than blaming the states.
The border dimension of Punjab's drug trade — with smugglers using the India-Pakistan border routes, including drones, to push narcotics into the state — has long been a point of contention between the Centre and the state government.
The drug problem in Punjab is not new. For over a decade, the state has been grappling with widespread addiction, particularly to synthetic drugs, and the issue has dominated every election cycle since 2017. What is new is the intensity of the confrontation: the deaths of young activists who publicly took on drug peddlers, followed by protests in the streets, have turned the campaign into a law-and-order crisis as much as a public health one.
The incidents at Dirba and Mansa that Shah flagged earlier this week — the killing of men who had spoken out against local drug traffickers — are now being cited by the BJP as evidence that the state's anti-drug machinery is not protecting whistleblowers. The state government, on its part, has pointed to its enforcement drive and arrests in recent months, though specific numbers were not part of the exchanges over the weekend.
How the AAP government responds to the Centre's pressure — and whether Shah's visit produces any concrete policy interventions — will shape the political temperature in Punjab in the months ahead.
For now, the imagery of the visit has been carefully constructed: a Home Minister visiting grieving families in three districts, followed by a press address and a symbolic burning of the "Ravana of drugs" at a Dussehra celebration — an attempt to fuse the festival's symbolism of the triumph of good over evil with the BJP's promise of a drug-free Punjab.
(Reporting based on The Hindu, The Statesman and Yes Punjab News.)