The Centre on Friday sought a detailed report from the Punjab government in two cases of drug-linked killings and a “suicide” by an addict’s father, igniting a verbal duel between Union home minister Amit Shah and chief minister Bhagwant Mann .
Addressing Mann directly, Shah declared: “Bhagwant Mann ji, the people of Punjab do not want promises, they want answers; not announcements, but results; decisive strikes against drug networks; and an impartial investigation into any political patronage received by criminals. Soon after Shah’s remarks, Mann accused the BJP-led Centre of defaming Punjab over drugs instead of checking the supply through Gujarat’s ports, asking the Union home minister to take responsibility for the seizure of 3,000 kg of synthetic drugs at Kandla port. Earlier, targeting the AAP government, Shah posted on X: “Punjab is today grappling with a rising threat of drugs, gangsterism, and organised crime.
In the letter pertaining to Jhota’s killing, the MHA, taking note of the protests, has sought a comprehensive report and steps taken by the state government. Citing public distress and potential law-and-order ramifications, the ministry has asked Punjab to furnish a detailed report on the incident. “What has Punjab come to when leading voices in society fighting against drugs must fear for their lives?
The ministry of home affairs (MHA) , in three separate letters to the Punjab chief secretary, demanded a response over October 13 daylight killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh, alias Jhota, in Mansa, and murder of 40-year-old Bikramjit Singh in Batala by alleged drug peddlers on October 15. The Centre’s move comes on a day when the Punjab government, during a high-level meeting chaired by Mann, unveiled a 60-day anti-drug strategy to target 435 hotspots with coordinated policing, infrastructure upgrades, and specialised rehab programmes.
The state government has also been told to furnish details in connection with Dalit man’s alleged suicide after his “public spat” with state finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema during a government event in Dirba (Sangrur) on September 8. In another communication, the MHA referred to the allegations that the Dalit man in Dirba who questioned minister Cheema over “rampant drug problem in Punjab” was subjected to systematic harassment and pressure by the village panchayat, for which allegedly drove him to take his own life. Reinforcing the BJP’s attack, party president Nitin Nabin said that the drug crisis has reached an “alarming level”. Earlier reporting noted: In three separate letters to the state chief secretary, the home ministry sought reports from the Punjab government over three cases: the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh “Jhota”, who was shot dead in a pharmacy in Mansa; the death by suicide of a 50-year-old man in Dirba, Sangrur, after facing allegedy harassment and casteist slurs for questioning the state finance minister about local drug supplies; and the killing of a 40-year-old man who objected to drugs being peddlled in Madi Pannwan village near Sri Hargobindpur in Batala. Earlier reporting noted: “Punjab is today grappling with a rising threat of drugs, gangsterism, and organised crime,” Shah posted on X earlier, adding that Jhota’s father had levelled grave allegations against the ruling AAP government.
The people of Punjab deserve accountability and a government that can keep them safe,” he said Earlier reporting noted: Centre seeks Punjab reports on drug-linked killings, suicide The Union home ministry on Friday sought reports from Punjab’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on the recent deaths of three men who took on the drug trade, a development that was prefaced by Union home minister Amit Shah and chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann trading blame over the issue earlier in the day.
