Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday ordered all government employees, including police officers, to undergo a mandatory dope test, ANI reported. The test will be conducted from the time of recruitment through every stage of their service, he said. The chief secretary of the state has been asked to work out the modalities and issue the necessary notifications.

The order comes two days after the government recommended the death penalty for people convicted of smuggling or peddling drugs. Singh on Wednesday wrote to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh recommending death penalty for first-time drug offenders. Ahead of the Assembly elections in the state last year, the Congress had promised to end the drug menace if voted to power.

On Tuesday, state Rural and Housing Development Minister Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa demanded a dope test of police officials from the level of deputy superintendent of police to inspector general. “I understand the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party government too got a similar test done,” Bajwa told The Indian Express. “If not more, at least one senior officer would test positive.”