Amit Shah to meet families of three Punjab drug-related deaths amid political row

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Punjab on October 20 to meet the families of three people whose deaths have triggered renewed political controversy over the state’s drug problem. The meetings are scheduled in Mansa, Gurdaspur and Sangrur, where the deaths have been linked by relatives, activists or local residents to opposition to the alleged drug trade.

The visit comes ahead of Punjab’s Assembly elections, expected early next year, and two days after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sent three separate letters to the state government seeking detailed reports on the deaths.

Shah announced the visit in posts on X in Hindi and Punjabi, accusing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of failing to curb narcotics and allowing the situation to deteriorate.

“The Aam Aadmi Party government has left no stone unturned in pushing Punjab into the quagmire of drugs, as a result of which countless families have had to lose their children,” Shah said.

He added that attempts to silence people speaking out against drug trafficking would not succeed and promised action against those involved.

“The Government of India will selectively put the drug smugglers behind bars and will ensure the entire country, including Punjab, is freed from this black trade of drugs,” he said.

Three deaths bring drug menace under scrutiny

According to party leaders, Shah will begin his visit in Mansa, where anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot dead on October 13. He will then travel to Gurdaspur to meet the family of Bikramjit Singh, who was allegedly hacked to death in Mari Panwan village in Batala on October 15. He is also scheduled to visit Sangrur to meet the family of a Dalit man who allegedly died by suicide following a confrontation over claims that heroin, locally known as “chitta”, was being sold in his village.

Jhota was allegedly shot by medical store operator Ashwani Kumar during a confrontation linked to accusations of illegal drug sales. Kumar was subsequently arrested in Rajasthan. Jhota’s family and supporters have demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), while his father, Bhim Singh, an ex-serviceman, has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah to intervene.

The family has refused to cremate Jhota’s body until its demands are addressed. The body has remained in the mortuary of Mansa Civil Hospital, with the post-mortem examination held up amid the continuing protest.

In Gurdaspur, villagers have linked Bikramjit Singh’s alleged murder to his opposition to drug sales in the area. The police, however, have ruled out a drug-related motive.

The third case concerns a Dalit man from Sangrur who allegedly died by suicide after a public confrontation with Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema. The dispute took place during a government event in Dirba on September 8, when the man raised allegations that “chitta” was being sold and supplied in his village.

The three cases prompted the MHA to seek detailed accounts from the Punjab government, including the steps taken to investigate the deaths and address their potential law-and-order implications.

The ministry also drew the state’s attention to the Vision Document on Narcotics Control for 2026-29, which Shah shared with Mann on August 10. The document outlines strategic priorities aimed at making India drug-free by 2029.

BJP steps up campaign ahead of Punjab polls

Shah’s visit will be his second to poll-bound Punjab within 20 days. He visited Jalandhar on September 30 and addressed a rally marking the culmination of the BJP’s “Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra”, which began on September 18. He had also visited Moga in March, where he said the BJP was the only party capable of making Punjab drug-free.

The BJP has announced that it will contest the next Assembly elections independently and has promised to make Punjab “drug-free by December 2029” if voted to power.

Former Union minister and BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu backed Shah’s visit, saying Punjab needed decisive action against narcotics.

“At a time when Punjab is battling the grave menace of drugs, we need decisive action, strong leadership and a firm resolve to secure our youth and our future,” Bittu told Hindustan Times.

The BJP has made the drug menace a central issue in its campaign, accusing the AAP government of failing to protect young people and tackle trafficking networks.

AAP challenges Centre over drug supplies through Gujarat ports

The AAP has hit back at Shah, questioning why the Union government was intervening now and asking what concrete steps it had taken to prevent narcotics from entering India through ports in Gujarat.

Punjab AAP media in-charge Baltej Pannu alleged that the Centre had raised the issue only after the Mann government launched its “Yudh Nashean Virudh” campaign against drugs.

Mann has accused the BJP-led Centre of attempting to defame Punjab instead of addressing the supply of narcotics through Gujarat. He cited the seizure of 3,000 kg of synthetic drugs at Kandla port and pointed out that the 50-km belt along India’s international border falls under the jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF), which is controlled by the Centre.

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal has also alleged that narcotics were entering India through Mundra and other ports associated with the Adani group, under the Centre’s oversight.

The allegations have added to the war of words between Shah and Mann over responsibility for tackling drug trafficking. Shah recently accused the Punjab government of failing to address the growing threat from narcotics, gangsters and organised crime.

Addressing Mann directly in a post on X, Shah said: “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.”

Mann has countered that the Centre should focus on preventing drug supplies rather than blaming the state government.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government unveiled a 60-day anti-drug strategy targeting 435 hotspots. The plan includes coordinated policing, infrastructure upgrades and specialised rehabilitation programmes.

Insaaf Committee opposes Shah’s meeting with Jhota’s family

Shah’s proposed visit to Mansa has also faced opposition from the Insaaf Committee, which is seeking justice in Jhota’s murder. The committee has said it will ask Bhim Singh to stay away from the meeting with the Union home minister.

Addressing a press conference, Rajwinder Singh Rana, a left-wing leader from Mansa, said the committee opposed Shah’s visit because drug trafficking was a problem across states and not confined to Punjab.

“The BJP-led governments had failed to curb narcotics in the states where the BJP is in power,” Rana said.

He also accused the BJP leadership of trying to use Jhota’s death for electoral gain ahead of the Punjab elections.

“Shah’s politics is driven by politics as the BJP leadership is trying to encash Jhota’s tragic death for its electoral ambitions in Punjab,” Rana said.

The committee’s position contrasts with Bhim Singh’s earlier appeal to Modi and Shah for intervention in the case. The family has not issued a statement on the committee’s opposition to the proposed meeting.

Another committee member, Manik Goyal, said the group had accepted an invitation from the district administration to hold discussions with officials in an effort to resolve the impasse.

“We think that the matter would be resolved with talks with the authorities. A meeting is expected to be held tomorrow after a statewide three-hour protest against the leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party,” Goyal said.

The committee’s demand for a CBI investigation remains central to the protest, with Jhota’s family continuing to withhold permission for his cremation.

Shah and Mann trade charges over law and order

The latest confrontation follows a series of exchanges between the Union home minister and the Punjab chief minister over the handling of drugs and organised crime.

Shah has called for action against trafficking networks and an impartial investigation into any alleged political protection for criminals. Mann, in turn, has accused the Centre of failing to stop narcotics from entering the country through ports under its oversight.

The dispute has placed the deaths of Jhota, Bikramjit Singh and the Dalit man from Sangrur at the centre of the political debate ahead of the Assembly elections.

Shah’s meetings with the families are expected to draw further attention to the cases, while the Punjab government faces demands to demonstrate progress in its anti-drug campaign and the Centre faces questions over its own efforts to curb narcotics supplies.