Illegal cannabis cultivation spread across nearly 1,300 hectares were identified and destroyed in a joint drive conducted by various enforcement and security agencies from September 9 to October 24 in Himachal’s Kullu district, police said on Thursday.
The drive was conducted under the jurisdiction of Patlikuhal and Manikaran police stations to curb the illegal production and trade of narcotics and eradicate illicit cannabis cultivation. The campaign was jointly carried out by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN), forest department, district police, special task force (STF) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). Under the jurisdiction of Patlikuhal police station, the drive was conducted in vulnerable areas and forest beats, where illegal cannabis cultivation had been identified as a concern. The areas covered included Naggar, Fozal, Halan, Neri, Khakhnal, Soyal, Jana, Rumshu and Sajla villages, among others. The joint action covered Grahan, Malana, Tosh, Kutla, Barshaini, Rasol, Pulga, Manikaran and surrounding areas. Illegal cannabis cultivation was identified and destroyed in difficult mountainous terrain through coordination among the participating agencies. Notably, in June, the Himachal Pradesh high court ordered the transfer of the Kullu deputy commissioner (DC) and superintendent of police (SP) for failing to prevent a large-scale rave party near Kasol.
A total of 13 FIRs related to illegal cannabis cultivation, across six police stations, were registered in the district during September and October 2026.”
Police said that its primary objective was to eliminate illegal cannabis cultivation and effectively curb the sources of illicit drug production and supply. Police said that joint teams surveyed difficult terrain, identified illegally cultivated cannabis crops and destroyed them. A large-scale operation was also carried out in the Kasol forest range and other vulnerable areas under the jurisdiction of Manikaran police station, according to police. Kullu police in its statement said: “Action against illegal cannabis cultivation was not limited to Patlikuhal and Manikaran but continued across various police station jurisdictions in Kullu district.
