Tripura's Battle Against Drugs: Challenges and Efforts

Tripura's Chief Minister highlighted a low 3.06% conviction rate under the NDPS Act over three years. Despite filing 2,979 charge-sheets, only 99 accused were convicted. An Anti-Narcotics Task Force was formed for better investigations. Witnesses turning hostile and alleged investigation flaws were seen as key challenges in improving convictions.

Tripura is grappling with a worrying 3.06% conviction rate under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act over the past three years, Chief Minister Manik Saha revealed to the Assembly on Monday.

Responding to a query from Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman, Saha pointed out that law enforcement agencies had submitted 2,979 charge-sheets under the NDPS Act between 2023 and 2025, but only managed to secure 99 convictions in trial courts. An Anti-Narcotics Task Force has been established to bolster case handling, with officers receiving specialized training for thorough investigations.

Barman expressed his concerns about gaps in the investigation process, suggesting that these defects allow drug kingpins to avoid arrest, leaving only carriers to face prosecution. He recommended the installation of scanning facilities at all parcel and packet booking points to combat this issue. Saha affirmed the government's zero-tolerance policy towards drug crimes, attributing the low conviction rate to a lack of eyewitnesses, similar to what is observed in murder cases. With many cases pending in trial courts, he remains hopeful for an improved conviction rate upon their resolution.

(With inputs from agencies.)