Pune Police & SPPU Join Forces: Mega De-Addiction Drive Across 125 Colleges Launched to Combat Drug and Screen Addiction
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 7th July 2026: On the occasion of the conclusion of World Anti-Drug Week, Pune City Police (Zone 4) and the Nirbhay Vidyarthi Abhiyan jointly hosted a special program at the Namdev Auditorium within Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU). The event marked a major milestone as the university announced a massive, multi-district de-addiction awareness campaign targeting college students.
The high-profile event was attended by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Zone 4, Chilumula Rajanikant (IPS); SPPU Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr. Parag Kalkar; Director of the Muktangan De-addiction Center, Dr. Mukta Puntambekar; Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Secondary Education Officer Asha Ubale; Director of the Manoday De-addiction Center, Dr. Vishnu Shrimangale; President of the Pune City Headmasters Association, Shivaji Shinde; Secretary Kishor Kamthe; and several school representatives, police officers, and personnel.
Addressing the gathering, DCP Chilumula Rajanikant emphasized that active participation from all sections of society is critical to winning the battle against drug abuse.
He highlighted that the Nirbhay Vidyarthi Abhiyan has been consistently working to prevent juvenile delinquency, promote de-addiction, and raise awareness among youngsters. He made a strong appeal to schools, colleges, parents, and social organizations to actively collaborate and participate in this initiative.
In a major announcement aimed at curbing rising substance abuse among youth, SPPU Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr. Parag Kalkar declared that the university will launch a comprehensive de-addiction awareness campaign across approximately 125 colleges spanning the Pune, Ahilyanagar (formerly Ahmednagar), and Nashik districts.
“In today’s rapidly changing social environment, open communication within families is drastically declining,” Dr. Kalkar remarked. “As a result, we are seeing a parallel rise in mobile phone and digital media addiction alongside traditional substance abuse. The university is committed to executing a widespread, systematic campaign among college students to build a completely addiction-free society.”
Noted de-addiction expert Dr. Mukta Puntambekar also raised alarms over the growing threat of “screen addiction” among the younger generation. She guided the audience on critical intervention strategies, noting that addressing the crisis requires reducing the demand for narcotics, systematically disrupting illicit supply chains, and establishing continuous, open dialogue and counseling channels.
The introductory speech for the program was delivered by Adv. Dilip Kurhade, a founder member of the Nirbhay Vidyarthi Abhiyan. The event was anchored by Nikhil Gaikwad, and the official vote of thanks was proposed by Assistant Police Inspector (API) Dadaraje Pawar.
