Gulzar Singh’s suicide exposes AAP govt’s failure on drugs, says Warring

Gulzar Singh’s suicide exposes AAP govt’s failure on drugs, says Warring

Punjab Congress to intensify anti-drug campaign, seek Cheema’s dismissal

Party to hold massive protest in Chandigarh on September 15 under Sachin Pilot’s leadership

Says, Bhagwant Mann can no longer keep on blaming previous regimes for drugs

Chandigarh 13 September ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Sunday accused the AAP government of failing to control the drug menace in the state and alleged that those who raise their voice against the problem are being intimidated and silenced, with some people like Gulzar Singh having to pay with their life.

He said, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann can no longer keep on blaming the previous regimes for the problem of drugs as his government was there now for almost five years. Now people are seeking account and answers and are not prepared to listen to excuses, he told the Chief Minister.  

He also announced that the Congress will hold a massive protest demonstration in Chandigarh under the leadership of newly appointed general secretary in charge Sachin Pilot to seek Harpal Cheema’s dismissal and arrest. Addressing the sixth session of his live interaction programme, ‘Warring With Warriors’, the PCC president dedicated the session to Gulzar Singh of Dirba, who recently died by suicide following humiliation and intimidation by the henchmen of Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema.

Warring noted that Gulzar Singh’s “only crime” was that he had approached Cheema and pleaded for action against drugs to save his son from addiction. “Gulzar Singh raised his voice against drugs to save his son and, in return, got death,” he pointed out.

He further accused the state government of cheating and deceiving Gulzar Singh’s family in connection with the last rites, saying that a recommendation letter regarding employment was presented to the family as a job offer letter to persuade them to proceed with the cremation. Warring said it subsequently emerged that the document was not an appointment or job offer but merely a recommendation from the Sangrur Deputy Commissioner to the state government. He also alleged that the family was not allowed to perform the last rites according to its traditions and rituals and that the administration hurriedly conducted the cremation. The Congress leader questioned the government’s claim that the family had agreed to the arrangements and said the offer of Rs 5 lakh compensation could not compensate for the loss of a human life. “Is the value of a precious life just Rs 5 lakh?” he asked.

Warring also expressed lack of faith in the Special Investigation Team constituted by the state government to investigate the circumstances surrounding Gulzar Singh’s death. He said that the incident was part of a wider pattern in Punjab where people questioning the government’s handling of the drug problem were being targeted and intimidated. Referring to Mohanjit Singh of Sheron village in Sangrur, Warring said that he was brutally beaten and tortured, administered electric shocks and suffered damage to his eardrum after questioning the AAP government’s handling of drugs. He also referred to the case of Chamkaur Singh, who was forced to consume poison but survived.

Warring claimed that the drug problem in Punjab had increased several-fold under the AAP government. He alleged that while during the previous Akali government it was ‘chitta’, during the AAP government a new drug has come up known as “zombie” drug, which leaves users in a rigid or incapacitated state for hours. The PCC chief also accused the government of attempting to suppress reporting of drug-related deaths rather than addressing the problem. He alleged that the administration was using the police machinery to prevent such deaths from being reported and that people posting information about drug-related deaths on social media were being pressured to delete their posts. “Instead of controlling drugs, the AAP has controlled and gagged the media,” Warring said.

Attacking the government’s ‘Yudh Nashya Virudh’ campaign, Warring claimed that it had “completely failed” to check drug abuse in the state. He also questioned the government’s claim that around 90,000 people had been arrested in the anti-drug campaign, pointing out that Punjab’s jails have a total capacity of around 24,000 inmates. Warring said women in Punjab were increasingly concerned about the impact of drug addiction on their families and claimed that many had told the government they did not want financial assistance but wanted their children protected from drugs. He cited a village in the Lambi Assembly constituency as an example of the social devastation caused by addiction, claiming that no marriage had taken place there because all marriageable-age youths had died due to drugs.

The Congress leader said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann could no longer attribute the drug problem to previous governments as the AAP government had been in power for nearly five years. “People are seeking answers,” he said, adding that they were waiting for the model code of conduct to come into force before holding the government accountable. Warring warned that the Congress would not allow the AAP leadership to “run away” from responsibility once elections were announced. He also dismissed allegations that the Congress was attempting to derive political mileage from deaths. As the principal opposition party, Warring said, it was the Congress’s responsibility to raise the people’s voice and fight their battles.

Warring announced that the Punjab Congress would intensify its campaign against the AAP government. He said a major Congress programme would be held on September 15 under the leadership of newly appointed AICC general secretary in-charge Sachin Pilot.

He said the Congress would seek the dismissal and arrest of Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema in connection with Gulzar Singh’s death. The Congress leader said the September 15 mobilisation would “shake the foundations” of the AAP government and put the drug issue and the treatment of people raising their voice against the menace at the centre of its political campaign.