MADURAI: For 20-year-old Jamil Rishma, a small digital badge on her WhatsApp status has become a source of confidence — and a way to inspire others to take a stand against drugs.

A third-year computer science student at Sadakathullah Appa College in Tirunelveli, Jamil, who is also the chairperson of the college students’ council, displayed the ‘Warriors of Well-being’ (WOW) badge on her WhatsApp status after joining the Tirunelveli Range police's anti-drug initiative.

The response surprised her. She shared her experience of how her parents appreciated her decision, while around 10 of her friends followed suit, signing up on the website and taking an anti-drug pledge after seeing her status. The WOW badge has since become a popular WhatsApp status among students at the college.

“Having a WOW digital badge has given me a new identity and helped me shed my fear. I feel safer,” Jamil said.

Her experience is part of a larger effort by the Tirunelveli Range police to turn the fight against drugs into a community movement. The initiative has so far resulted in 120 villages being declared drug-free, while thousands of youngsters have been enrolled as ‘Warriors of Well-being’.

R Thirunavukkarasu, Deputy Inspector General of Police, who conceived the initiative, told DT NEXT that 4,340 students had registered for WOW since its launch on August 11, 2026, when the State government organised a mass anti-drug pledge-taking ceremony.

To join WOW, students have to enter their details, upload a photograph or take a selfie, and upload their Aadhaar card before taking an anti-drug pledge.

“Once they complete the process, they will get the digital badge. We want them to be part of the journey to eradicate drugs from our society. We also encourage them to use it on their social media profiles, which will increase their confidence level,” said Thirunavukkarasu.

“DIG sir introduced WOW to us when he visited our NCC camp at Keelapavoor. All 50 of us immediately took the anti-drug pledge to join the group,” he said.

Ponnarasu said he learnt about the ill-effects of drugs only after joining the group. For many students from rural areas, he added, the WOW badge had become more than a social media status, giving them a sense of dignity as they contributed to the betterment of society.

The initiative has also been extended to villages across the four districts under the Tirunelveli Range — Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari.

South Zone IG Vijayendra Bidari underscored the importance of the mission, saying that a drug-free village is built not by the Police alone, but by an entire community united against drugs.

"Village Vigilance Committees (VVCs) formed by police can play a vital role in creating drug-free villages by becoming the eyes and ears of the community—identifying early signs of drug use, discreetly sharing credible information with the Police and creating awareness among youth. This initiative seeks to transform the fight against drugs from a purely policing effort into a more sustainable community movement," he told DT Next.

Deputy Superintendents of Police in the four districts have been asked to use social media to announce the mission and build support for eradicating drug use in identified villages.

In Nanguneri division, 14 of the 21 identified villages have already been declared drug-free.

“Of the 21 villages identified under the Nanguneri division, we have declared 14 drug-free. We will complete the task in the remaining villages before October 12,” said Sathishkannan in a social media post.

Explaining the process, DSP Sathishkannan told DT Next that police first conduct raids at shops and other establishments in the identified villages to check for ganja and gutkha.

“Then, once a week, police inspectors in their respective jurisdictions conduct anti-drug awareness programmes in colleges, schools and anganwadis. This has increased confidence among the people,” he said.

Educational institutions are being targeted as part of the effort, as peddlers often target students, he added.

Police have also arrested four ganja sellers and booked them under the Goondas Act, said Inspector Madaswamy of the Moolakarapatti police station.

“Now, villagers have also been sensitised to inform the police about the movement of suspicious persons,” he said.

According to Thirunavukkarasu, the police strategy combines enforcement against drug peddlers with community participation.

“At the first stage, we targeted 120 villages where drug usage was minimal, declaring them drug-free in July 2026. At the second stage, we will declare another 130 villages drug-free this October,” he added.