Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday visited the families of victims of drug-related violence in Batala, Sangrur and Mansa, assuring them that justice would be delivered. He reiterated the Centre’s target of making India drug-free by December 31, 2029, with a particular focus on Punjab.
Shah later attended the Dussehra celebrations in Ludhiana in the evening. Speaking to the media, he welcomed the CBI probe ordered into the killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh alias Jhota and demanded that the cases related to the Batala murder of Bikramjit Singh and the suicide of a Dalit man in Sangrur also be handed over to the central probe agency.
This was Shah’s third visit to poll-bound Punjab since March, and second in 20 days. The BJP has made drugs a core issue in its campaign for the high-stakes assembly elections due early next year. On September 30, Shah addressed a party rally in Jalandhar to mark the culmination of the BJP’s 13-day anti-drug yatra in the state.
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People raising voice against drugs not safe
{{/usCountry}}Also Read I Punjab: Shah burns ‘Chitta Ravan’ effigy, vows war on drugs
People raising voice against drugs not safe
{{/usCountry}}Shah began his state tour by visiting the house of 40-year-old Bikramjit Singh at Marhi Pannwan village in the Batala sub-division of Gurdaspur district, where he assured the family of justice.
Bikramjit was hacked to death last Thursday evening when he and two companions, Nishan Singh and Gurmukh Singh, were attacked by 10 to 15 armed men.
The assault occurred after residents confronted the group over alleged open drug peddling, theft, and harassment in their street. While Bikramjit died of his injuries, Nishan and Gurmukh survived. Shah, who was accompanied by Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon and other party leaders, met Bikramjit’s mother, Surjit Kaur and sister.
The family reiterated that Bikramjit, their sole breadwinner, was targeted for standing up to local drug peddlers. Their account contradicts the Punjab Police, who ruled out a drug connection and termed the incident a petty scuffle over a mobile phone.
During the interaction, the family demanded a CBI probe to ensure a fair investigation. Shah assured them that the case would be investigated by the CBI.
In a post on X, Shah targeted the ruling state government: “... The growing web of drugs in Punjab and the emboldened drug traffickers have raised serious questions about the functioning of the AAP government. In the Bhagwant Mann government, on one hand, Punjab’s youth is falling prey to drugs, while on the other hand, those who raise their voices against it are not safe.”
Meanwhile, farmers affiliated with the Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee attempted to stage a protest against Shah’s visit, but were stopped by the police.
Meets kin of Dalit man in Sangrur
Shah later travelled to Toor Banjara village in Sangrur to meet the family of a Dalit daily-wage worker who died on September 7 after allegedly consuming pesticide. His family alleged he took the extreme step following harassment and casteist slurs after he publicly questioned Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema about illegal drug sales during a public event a day earlier. The family has been demanding an FIR against Cheema.
An SIT has been set up by the Punjab Police to investigate the matter.
After the meeting, the Dalit man’s son said Shah assured the family that the accused in the case would be brought to justice. At the daily-wager’s house, Shah also met Mohanjit Singh Sheron, who alleged he was subjected to custodial torture after displaying a black flag during chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s Lok Milni programme on September 2, and the mother of a 23-year-old local youth from Kanoi village who recently died after consuming poisonous substance.
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CBI to begin Jhota murder probe within 24 hrs
Shah later met the family of slain anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh alias Jhota and said that the CBI probe into his killing would begin within the next 24 hours.
No member of the Insaaf Committee, which has been protesting for a week seeking justice in Jhota’s murder case, was present. Earlier in the day, chief minister Bhagwant Mann announced that the case will be handed over to the CBI.
Jhota, known for raising his voice against the illegal sale of habit-forming pharmaceutical drugs, was shot dead inside a medical store at a busy Mansa market on October 13 while broadcasting live on Facebook.
Former Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar, who accompanied Shah, said the home minister assured that a CBI team would reach Mansa by noon on Wednesday.
“The process to record statements of the family and others in the Jhota murder case will commence from tomorrow. The minister assured that the case would be brought to its logical conclusion,” Jakhar said.
After the meeting, Jhota’s father Bhim Singh said, “We are not for or against any political party, but after losing our son, I want the narcotics menace to be wiped out from Punjab.” He also dismissed reports claiming that Jhota’s family has dropped all other demands and is seeking only a CBI probe.
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“My demands of resignation of the chief minister and the state police chief are still intact. Similarly, punitive action against officials from the police and health departments in Mansa is among other main demands of the family,” said Singh.
A week after the killing, the family is yet to agree to the cremation, and Jhota’s body remains in the mortuary of Mansa civil hospital.
‘Never felt so deeply saddened in life’
Later in the day, Shah attended Dussehra celebrations in Ludhiana and during a press conference said meeting with the bereaved families had left him deeply distressed.
“For my entire life, I won’t be able to forget this Vijaydashmi,” he said.
Slamming the AAP government over its failure to curb the menace, Shah questioned the state government’s response to the deaths. He asked whether the state government had any answers for families who had lost their sons, husbands and brothers, apart from offering explanations.
Questions zero arrests under PITNDPS Act
Shah questioned why Punjab had not made a single arrest under the stringent Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act.
Citing 929 cases registered under the provision across the country in one year, he said the law was intended to enable stringent preventive action against those involved in illicit drug trafficking.
“Zero people have been detained under the PIT-NDPS Act in Punjab. Why is this the case? The Punjab government must explain this to the people of the state,” he said.
He said drugs are being seized at ports in Gujarat and Maharashtra. “We are working hard to combat this issue, yet you accuse us? How do these drugs reach the youth of Punjab in small packets?” Shah questioned, adding that such trafficking is unlikely to occur without political protection.