CHANDIGARH/MOHALI, May 29 — In a serious lapse that has raised concerns across health and law enforcement departments, 23 inmates, mostly booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, fled from the Sector 66 de-addiction facility, recently renamed as Nasha Mukti Dawai Kendra.
The mass escape was carried out by breaking open a window, sources confirmed. The facility housed both court-referred and voluntary patients, though the majority of those who fled were facing minor narcotics charges and were undergoing treatment in a specially designated reformation ward.
“The inmates took advantage of a weak security point. Their backgrounds are known to us, and action is underway,” a senior police official said, requesting anonymity.
The escape has prompted immediate reviews of security protocols by senior police and administrative officers. Investigation officers connected to each inmate’s case have been alerted, though police have not disclosed how many of the escapees have been located or returned.
Despite repeated attempts, Centre In-charge and Deputy Medical Commissioner Dr Parvinder Pal Kaur refrained from commenting on the matter.
Officials from the Health Department stated that the rehabilitation program at the centre would continue uninterrupted. “We are committed to the mission. This incident is a setback, but it won’t derail our efforts,” said an official familiar with the centre’s operations.
The escape comes just weeks after the facility had been showcased as a flagship initiative under Punjab’s ongoing “Yudh Nasheyan Virudh” (War Against Drugs) campaign. On May 1, Punjab Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjeet Singh Sahney, and Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh had jointly upgraded and renamed the OOAT centre, assuring patients of long-term treatment and rehabilitation.
“This centre was meant to be a model for the state,” MLA Kulwant Singh said during the inauguration earlier this month. “We want every person here to walk out skilled and clean.”
Designed to offer a 2–3 week de-addiction program followed by longer-term rehabilitation, the centre also provides vocational training in computing, mobile servicing, electrical work, and cooking.
Punjab currently maintains approximately 2,500 patients across its network of 565 de-addiction centres, which collectively offer around 5,000 beds.
The incident has cast a shadow over the state’s flagship anti-drug campaign and intensified scrutiny of operational and security standards at government-run treatment facilities.
