Punjab has shed its infamous “Udta Punjab” title, but it continues to rank among the country’s leading states for drug peddling, according to the latest 2024 National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report released on Wednesday night.
After remaining at the top position for three consecutive years in drug overdose deaths, Punjab slipped to the second spot in 2024, reads the column of the report on Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI).
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Punjab recorded the second-highest number of overdose fatalities with 106 deaths, while the southern state of Tamil Nadu topped the list with 313 deaths.
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The development comes amid political churn in Tamil Nadu, where actor-turned-politician and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief C Joseph Vijay is preparing for a larger political role after his party’s impressive performance in the recently concluded assembly elections.
Punjab’s fall to the second position offers little comfort, as overdose deaths in the state have continued to rise steadily.
NCRB data shows fatalities increased from 89 in 2023 to 106 in 2024, although still lower than the 117 deaths reported in 2022. Nationally, overdose deaths stood at 681 in 2022 and 654 in 2023 before surging sharply to 978 in 2024.
While Punjab trails, states such as Kerala (27,149), Maharashtra (15,641) and Tamil Nadu (11,037) in terms of drug consumption cases, the border state emerged as the country’s worst-affected region for drug trafficking.
As many as 8,973 NDPS-related cases were registered in Punjab during 2024 for drug consumption, while 6,060 cases were linked to possession for trafficking — the highest in the country.
Punjab’s troubles extend beyond overdose fatalities. The NCRB Crime in India 2024 report ranked the state second in the NDPS crime rate at 29 cases per lakh population.
Among neighbouring regions, Himachal Pradesh reported 31 deaths (up from 21), Haryana three (from zero) and Chandigarh seven (down from eight). Jammu and Kashmir recorded four deaths, one less than the previous year.
Together, Punjab, Himachal, Haryana, Chandigarh and J&K accounted for 15.3 percent of total overdose deaths.
The report also highlighted other alarming indicators. Punjab recorded 33 deaths due to the consumption of spurious liquor in 2024. Besides, 48 incidents of prison escapes were reported in the state during the year.
Punjab registered 1,079 murder cases in 2024 or India’s total 27,049 murder cases. The NCRB report further recorded 90 farmer suicides in the state.
Among them, 73 were landowners, 11 cultivated leased land, while six were agricultural labourers. In addition, the report documented 182 suicides by unemployed persons and 301 suicides by housewives.
Road safety also remained a major concern. As per the NCRB ADSI 2024 report, Punjab recorded 4,759 deaths due to road accidents, translating into an average of 13 deaths every day on the state’s roads.
Punjab also topped the country in snatching incidents, with a crime rate of 4.4, registering 1,356 snatching cases during 2024. Crimes against children and women also remained significant. The state recorded 2,430 cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) and 558 rape cases during the year.