A 50 year old farmer from Sangrur district in Punjab died by suicide days after he questioned Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema over the alleged open sale of drugs in his village and was allegedly pressured by local Aam Aadmi Party leaders to apologise.
Gulzar Singh, a resident of Toor Banjara village in Dirba, allegedly consumed aluminium phosphide tablets after raising concerns about the availability of ‘chitta’, a commonly used term for heroin, during a public meeting attended by Cheema last week. His family and villagers alleged that he was later harassed and pressured to apologise for questioning the minister.
Singh was first taken to a hospital in Dirba before being shifted to Rajindra Hospital in Patiala and later to DMC Ludhiana, where he died on Monday night.
Farmer questioned minister over drugs
During the meeting, Singh reportedly asked Cheema why the government had failed to stop the sale and use of drugs in the village. He said his son was addicted to ‘chitta’ and that the drug was easily available.
“My son openly consumes ‘chitta’. Why don’t you take action against the drug menace?” Singh was heard saying in a video that later circulated on social media.
His cousin Gurdeep Singh said two young men from the village had died of drug overdoses and that Singh was deeply distressed about his son’s addiction.
According to Singh’s family, police took him away from the meeting after he raised the issue. They alleged that members of the village panchayat and other influential people later summoned him and pressured him to publicly apologise.
Singh’s son alleged that the village sarpanch became angry after his father accused local people of openly selling drugs.
Final statement blamed minister and sarpanch
Before his death, Singh recorded a statement in which he blamed Cheema and the village sarpanch for the pressure he allegedly faced.
“Cheema is also responsible for my death,” Singh said. “The sarpanch is also responsible for my death. I had questioned Cheema about drugs. My son takes drugs. My house was sold. I don’t have anything and finally now I have consumed poison. The problem of drugs has not been solved anywhere in Punjab.”
Lakhvir Singh, general secretary of the Krantikari Pendu Mazdoor Union Punjab, said he recorded Singh’s statement on his mobile phone.
He claimed that Singh’s family faced delays while seeking treatment at Rajindra Hospital and was later shifted to DMC Ludhiana.
Police have registered a case of abetment to suicide and harassment against the sarpanch and two other people, according to Lakhvir Singh. Four people, including two members of the village panchayat, were reportedly arrested, though the exact sections and arrests should be confirmed with the police.
Cheema could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.
Supporters of Sarpanch Baljinder Kaur Sidhu denied the allegations. Her husband, Baljeet Singh, said Singh’s claims were false and baseless. He said Cheema and panchayat members had counselled Singh after he raised the drug issue and assured him that efforts were being made to tackle the problem.
He also denied that Singh had been threatened or that any argument had taken place.
Opposition demands action against Cheema
The death has triggered strong reactions from opposition parties, with leaders demanding an investigation and action against those named by Singh.
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal alleged that Singh was threatened and intimidated after questioning the minister and demanded immediate action against Cheema and others.
SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia also alleged that police pushed Singh aside before AAP leaders pressured him to apologise. He described the death as a killing and demanded an FIR against Cheema.
BJP leader and former Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu said Singh had questioned Cheema while trying to save his son from drug addiction.
“Cheema must be immediately removed from the Council of Ministers and a case should be filed against him,” Bittu said.
Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira also shared a video purportedly showing Singh naming Cheema and others and demanded an FIR against the minister and his associates.
The Congress alleged that Singh’s death highlighted the seriousness of Punjab’s drug crisis and accused the AAP government of attempting to conceal the problem.
Death follows alleged police action against anti drug activist
Singh’s death comes days after another incident in Sangrur involving an anti drug activist.
Mohanjit Singh, a baptised Sikh youth, was allegedly subjected to police torture after he climbed onto the roof of a house near a ‘Milni’ programme in Sheron village and waved a black flag at Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann while raising slogans against the government over the drug menace.
The incident has also drawn attention from rights groups and opposition parties.
Meanwhile, government data indicates a sharp rise in demand for drug treatment in Punjab. Admissions at state run deaddiction centres increased from 9,577 in 2024 to 25,290 in 2025, a rise of more than 164 per cent. More than 14,000 people had reportedly been admitted to such centres by July this year.
