Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday flayed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab over the state’s drug crisis and asked it to hand over the probe into the deaths of anti-drug activists and victims to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
However, hours before his arrival, chief minister Bhagwant Mann announced the state government’s decision to hand over the investigation into Jhota’s murder case to the CBI. Shah was in the state to meet the family members of those who had died in incidents linked to opposition to the drug menace in their areas in Gurdaspur, Sangrur and Mansa. “Accepting the demand of the family, we are handing over this case to the CBI. Our fight against drug peddlers is all-out, and we will not back down from whatever drastic steps we have to take to make Punjab drug-free,” Mann posted on X.
He said the situation on the ground appeared graver than what was generally reported in government records. Welcoming chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s decision to transfer the probe into the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota to the CBI, Shah, who was on a day-long visit to Punjab, advised the state government to also hand over two other cases involving the deaths of a Dalit man in Sangrur and Bikramjit Singh in Gurdaspur to the central agency. He assured that no accused would be spared, regardless of their influence or position. “The BJP will also approach a court to seek a CBI probe into these cases. Shah also slammed the state government for what he termed its failure to curb drug trafficking which had become entrenched at the grassroots level, extending into villages across the state. The BJP has made drug menace the central theme of its election campaign, once again bringing this long-pending issue into the spotlight. During the yatra, BJP leaders had interacted with the families of victims of drug abuse in various parts of the state. “We have already recommended a CBI probe. Let the investigation take place.
Mann claimed that the BJP was unable to win the confidence of Punjab’s people, and it was, therefore, looking for one pretext or another to defame his government.
“Trust me, you won’t be able to solve these two cases either, so please hand these over to the CBI,” the home minister said at a press conference in Ludhiana, citing the victims’ families’ demands for a probe by the federal agency. We are determined to ensure justice,” said the home minister. Recalling his meeting with the bereaved families, Shah said he never felt so deeply saddened in life as he did while meeting with them. “For my entire life, I won’t be able to forget this Vijayadashami,” the home minister said, alleging that people who speak out against drugs in Punjab are either murdered or forced to commit suicide. “Neither the people of Punjab, nor I have any hopes from you,” he said. The party’s 4,000-km “Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra”, flagged off by the party’s national president Nitin Nabin last month, covered the entire state before culminating in Jalandhar where Shah, addressing a rally, pledged that if voted to power, the BJP will free the state from “chitta” (heroin) by December 2029. We do not protect anyone,” he said, alleging that the BJP’s sudden concern for Punjab was politically motivated.
