‘We will bulldoze houses of drug peddlers,’ warns Karnataka Home Minister Dr. G Parameshwar

Parameshwara outlines a zero-tolerance strategy in the Legislative Council, detailing crackdowns, deportations, and intensified surveillance to dismantle drug networks.

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara delivered a strong message in the Legislative Council on Thursday, declaring that the state is fully committed to eliminating drug activities and is prepared to bulldoze houses that are knowingly rented out to drug peddlers. He said the government has adopted a zero-tolerance approach and will not spare anyone who supports or shelters drug networks.

Explaining ongoing measures, Parameshwara said police units have been carrying out widespread awareness programmes across educational institutions. According to him, Bengaluru police alone visited 1,000 schools in a single day last week to educate students and staff about drug risks.

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Sharing the state’s case data, he informed the House that 4,168 drug-related cases were registered in 2024, of which chargesheets were filed in 4,091 cases. The numbers rose further in 2025, with 5,747 cases, and police have already completed investigations in 4,510 of them.

Parameshwara also highlighted the involvement of certain foreign nationals in drug networks. He said police routinely detain them and initiate legal action, but many attempt to keep cases pending to prolong their stay in India. “In the last two years, the state has deported 300 people for drug-related involvement,” he said.

Responding to a question from Congress MLC K Abdul Jabbar, the minister said the global rise in production, sale and consumption of narcotics has strengthened inter-state and international networks, making drug trafficking a highly profitable criminal enterprise. Because these networks operate across borders, he said, “the drug problem has become universal.”

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To counter this, the state has enhanced surveillance and deployed special patrol teams around city outskirts to prevent drug-related parties. Surprise checks have been launched at resorts, farmhouses, parcel services and courier centres. The government has also set up an Anti-Narcotics Task Force headed by an ADGP to coordinate large-scale crackdowns.

Parameshwara ended with a stern warning to officials, stating that the government will file criminal cases against any officers found neglecting their duties during anti-drug operations.