West Bengal CM drives roller over 2 lakh cough syrup bottles in anti-drug drive

Kolkata 

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday (September 2, 2026) drove a roller over two lakh bottles of codeine-based cough syrup in Balurghat, said he that the State is committed to fight against drugs abuse. 

He was accompanied by Balurghat MP Sukanta Majumdar and Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee at this event in Dakshin Dinajpur district. 

The banned cough syrup bottles were lined up outside the Superintendent of Police’s office. The CM drove the roller over these bottles as a message against drug abuse and drug peddling in the State and a warning to smugglers.  

Mr Adhikari added that this drive is aimed at keeping the youth of the country out of drug addiction. “My first message through this is that we have to bring the youth out of drug addiction,” he said. He also added that whoever was involved in the drug smuggling process will face severe prosecution and imprisonment. 

The CM further said that before this there was no coordination between the Border Security Forces and the State police along the Bangladesh border in Dakshin Dinajpur which led to the illegal smuggling of these cough syrups. 

“Earlier, there was no coordination between the BSF and the police in Dakshin Dinajpur because the BSF was treated as an enemy. In the last four months, these narcotics have been recovered through joint operations,” Mr Adhikari said.  

He also added that since they have come to power, they have been able to seize huge quantities of narcotics and drugs which was initiated due to the joint coordination of the BSF and State police authorities. 

This was the CM’s first visit to Balurghat since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in the State.