Punjab's Home Department granted Inspector Generals and senior IPS officers the authority to issue preventive detention orders across the state on 14 October 2024. The decree allows IGs in police ranges and commissionerates to act without prior court approval, a move aimed at curbing the state's escalating drug trafficking.
Six senior IPS officers were specifically named—A S. Rai, Gautam Cheema, Shive Verma, Kaustubh Sharma, Naunihal Singh and S. Boopathi—to exercise the powers in districts where no IG is posted. The DGP allocated the jurisdictions on 10 October, ensuring coverage across 41 districts.
The decision follows the shooting of anti‑drug activist Parminder Singh Jhota by medical shop owner Ashwini Kumar on 13 October during a livestream, an event that sparked outrage across the state. Jhota, who had been campaigning against the sale of banned drugs, was killed when Kumar opened fire after an argument.
Opposition parties—including BJP, Shiromani Akali Dal and Congress—have condemned the AAP government, accusing it of failing to protect activists. The AAP's chief minister Bhagwant Mann defended the move as a necessary step to protect Punjab's youth.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticized the policy in a press meeting on 15 October, calling the AAP government an "AAPda" and demanding stricter law enforcement. The DGP has already assigned six seniors to exercise the powers and will monitor the impact, with the first preventive detention orders expected in the coming weeks.