Railway Protection Force sets up narcotics cell, plans MoU with NCB

RPF has set up a narcotics cell to curb drug trafficking through trains and will sign an MoU with NCB for information sharing, training and joint operations.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has constituted a narcotics cell to curb drug trafficking through trains and is set to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for capacity building, information sharing and joint operations, the anti-drug agency said on Thursday.

Government's Target Against Drug Trade

The development comes as drug law enforcement agencies in India work towards the Centre’s target of uprooting the drug trade from India by December 31, 2029 — a deadline announced by Union home minister Amit Shah at a conference on Tuesday.

The NCB shared the details after the completion of the two-day conference of anti-narcotics police officers from across the country, chaired by Shah.

Home minister Shah in his address had said that the time has come to move from a seizure-centric approach to targeting trafficking networks and cartels.

Also Read: Two-day anti-narcotics conference: Inside India’s plan to go drug-free by 2047

According to an NCB statement, replying to a query on drug trafficking through railways at the third National Conference of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) Heads of States and Union Territories, NCB director general Anurag Garg said the RPF had already constituted a narcotics cell.

“The proposed MoU between the NCB and RPF will institutionalise capacity building, exchange of information and joint operations between the two agencies,” the NCB said in a statement on Thursday.

HT has earlier reported that in line with the three-year targeted crackdown on drugs, every agency is set to start a specialised anti-narcotics force.

The two-day conference, which concluded in New Delhi on Wednesday, brought together ANTF heads from 36 states and Union territories and focused on strengthening coordination among enforcement and intelligence agencies to dismantle drug trafficking networks.

“The fight against drugs is the most difficult of all battles, but it can’t be abandoned and must be won by December 31, 2029,” Shah had said at the conference.

Frequently Asked Questions

Prawesh Lama, an Associate Editor at Hindustan Times with nearly two decades of frontline reporting experience across India’s conflict zones, border regions, and disaster-hit areas. He writes on internal security, insurgency, the Northeast, and Left-wing extremism and has reported from India’s hinterland and some of the most sensitive and strategically critical regions.Read More