Chandigarh/New Delhi, Sep 8 (PTI) Punjab’s drug crisis was at the centre of a snowballing debate on Tuesday with the BJP and Congress targeting the ruling AAP following the alleged suicide of a villager who questioned Finance Minister Harpal Cheema about the “unabated” supply of ‘chitta’ in the state.
Gulzar Singh, a 47-year-old Dalit from Dirba in Sangrur district, died on Monday night after allegedly consuming poison with his family claiming that he was harassed and subjected to casteist slurs after he questioned Cheema at an event in Dirba the day before, on September 6.
He was cremated on Tuesday evening.
Following a complaint by Gulzar Singh’s family, five people were booked under Section 108 (abetment of suicide) under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and relevant Sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, according to an FIR.
A purported video of his last moments shows the daily wager asking Cheema about the availability of drugs in his area, saying that the sarpanch would be responsible for his death and admitting that his son took it too.
As his emotive video went viral, opposition parties, including the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), cornered the Bhagwant Mann-led government and demanded an FIR against Cheema. The issue rippled across to Delhi with calls for the resignations of Mann and Cheema coming in from the BJP and the Congress, both parties alleging that Gulzar was pressured into taking his life.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), however, accused the BJP, Congress and Akali Dal of attempting to exploit a tragic death for political gains and asserted that the bereaved family must be allowed to grieve with dignity.
The death of Gulzar was not the only matter occupying mindspace in a political season hotting up ahead of elections due in the next few months.
The state government was also under attack over the alleged custodial torture of a villager, also from Sangrur, for waving black flags and raising slogans against the AAP regime on the issue of drug abuse.
A delegation of Punjab BJP leaders, led by state chief Kewal Singh Dhillon, met Governor Gulab Chand Kataria to demand that both the incidents being handed over to the CBI for further investigation.They also sought an abetment of suicide case against Cheema for Gulzar Singh’s suspected suicide.
Both incidents raise serious questions over the functioning of the state government and police accountability, the party said in a memorandum to the governor.
In Delhi, party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia addressed a press conference at the BJP headquarters to demand the resignations of Mann and Cheema for abetment of suicide.
“Gulzar Singh raised the issue of drug menace during Cheema’s visit to his village. Singh told Cheema that his son takes ‘chitta’ (an umbrella term for synthetic drugs) and urged the minister to take action on its supply,” Bhatia said.
“After the minister left, an AAP leader, who is the sarpanch of the village, visited Gulzar Singh’s home and asked him to apologise to the minister for his remarks,” the BJP leader added.
Before Gulzar Singh died at a hospital, he narrated the entire episode and took the names of those who threatened him for raising the drug issue before Cheema, the BJP spokesperson said.
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari termed the AAP a gangster party, referencing the induction of Gurpreet Singh Sekhon, one of the main accused in the 2016 Nabha jailbreak case, into the AAP two days ago.
The Congress echoed the outrage.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said people are watching everything and every act of oppression and arrogance will have to be accounted for.
“The Terrifying and Utterly Shameful Face of the AAP Government in Punjab! Gulzar Singh, who expressed the agony of his son ruined by drugs (chitta) and openly questioned Finance Minister Harpal Cheema about the rampant sale of drugs, was forced to take his own life,” Ramesh alleged on X.
“In their arrogance of power, AAP leaders have forgotten that in a democracy, the people are supreme. It is shameful that the government, which came to power claiming to eradicate drugs completely, is now sacrificing those who dare to ask questions,” Ramesh said in his post in Hindi.
Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring added, “He was subjected to such immense harassment and pressure that he ultimately attempted suicide.” A Punjab Congress protest against the “deteriorating” law and order situation and the drug menace was stopped by Chandigarh Police, which used water cannons, when the demonstrators attempted to head towards Mann’s residence.
SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said, “Gulzar Singh of Dirba merely asked Harpal Cheema a question about the drug menace, and he was allegedly pushed to the point of taking his own life.” “He had questioned Harpal Cheema at a public gathering about his son’s drug addiction and asked what was being done to eradicate drugs. After this, he was allegedly pushed to such a state that he was forced to consume Celphos,” said Majithia, naming a pesticide.
The AAP said the opposition parties in Punjab were indulging in an extremely insensitive “vulture politics”, as the traditional parties are rushing to politicise every tragedy.
In a video message, AAP Punjab state general secretary Baltej Pannu said Punjab was a sensitive state and political parties, particularly those in the Opposition, were expected to show greater sensitivity in situations involving the death of a person and the grief of a family.
AAP national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda said if a person comes before a minister and raises his problem, it shows that he has faith in that government.
Away from the political drama, Gulzar Singh’s family grieved his passing.
His son Lakhwinder Singh alleged police came to their house to question his father about drugs.
The five accused — Baljit Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Vicky Singh, Gona Singh and Baljinder Kaur –humiliated and threatened his father and allegedly used caste-related slurs against him, Lakhwinder said.
Baljit called Gulzar Singh to his house on September 7 to apologise in the presence of the Panchayat, according to the FIR. Gulzar was unable to bear the humiliation and consumed a poisonous substance, it says.
Lakhwinder told reporters that his brother will be given a government job and the family was satisfied with the police action.
Nephew Karanvir Singh recounted the events of that fateful September 6. Gulzar Singh, he said, was taken outside the venue by some locals after he questioned Cheema. The daily wager was also pressured by locals to seek an apology and consumed poison, Karanvir told reporters, adding, “We want justice”.
The video Gulzar left behind shows him questioning Cheema about the availability of drugs in his area.
“Sarpanch will be responsible for my death. I had questioned about ‘chitta’ (an umbrella term for synthetic drugs). My son takes it. Everything is sold,” Gulzar is heard saying.
“Chitta band nahi hoya (Supply of chitta has not stopped),” he said.
Gulzar was taken to hospitals in Sangrur, Patiala and Ludhiana where he died on Monday night. PTI CHS ASK PK MIN RHL RHL
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.