News Desk: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab over the state’s drug crisis and called for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the deaths of three people linked to opposition against drug trafficking. He also assured the victims’ families that those responsible would not be spared, regardless of their influence or position.
During his day-long visit to Punjab, Shah met the families of deceased anti-drug activists and victims in Gurdaspur, Sangrur and Mansa. He welcomed Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s decision to transfer the murder investigation of activist Parvinder Singh Jhota to the CBI, while urging the state government to hand over two other cases to the central agency.
Speaking at a press conference in Ludhiana, Shah said the families of Bikramjit Singh and a Dalit daily-wage worker from Sangrur had also demanded a CBI investigation. He warned that the state police might not be able to resolve these cases and said the BJP would approach the court if necessary to secure an independent investigation.
Jhota, who had campaigned against the alleged illegal sale of addictive drugs at chemist shops, was shot dead at a pharmacy in Mansa on October 13. The case became a major political issue, with his family demanding a CBI investigation. Hours before Shah’s arrival, Mann announced that the state government would transfer the case to the central agency.
Shah also met the family of Bikramjit Singh, a 40-year-old man who was killed in Mari Panwan village in Gurdaspur district on October 15 in an incident allegedly connected to his opposition to drug peddling.
In Sangrur, the home minister visited the family of a Dalit daily-wage worker who died by suicide on September 7. Reports said the death followed alleged harassment and casteist remarks after he questioned Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema about the illegal sale of drugs at a public event.
Shah accused the AAP government of failing to control drug trafficking, alleging that the problem had spread into villages across Punjab. He said the situation appeared more serious on the ground than government records suggested.
The AAP leadership strongly rejected Shah’s criticism. Mann maintained that his government did not protect anyone involved in drug trafficking and said the decision to transfer Jhota’s murder case to the CBI demonstrated its willingness to pursue the investigation. He also accused the BJP of using the drug issue for political gain.
The dispute comes ahead of Punjab’s next Assembly elections, expected in early 2027. The BJP has made the drug menace a central campaign issue and has launched a statewide ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’. Shah has previously pledged that a BJP government would eliminate the state’s heroin problem by December 2029.
With the demand for independent investigations growing, the handling of these cases is likely to remain a major issue in Punjab’s political debate.
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