CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI: The suicide of Dalit labourer Gulzar Singh after he was allegedly harassed for questioning Punjab’s finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema for ‘failing to curb drug menace’ has put AAP govt in a spot as the party is caught in a pincer attack from Congress, BJP and Akali Dal ahead of assembly elections.At a time when AAP is on an overdrive to retain its solitary govt in the country to maintain its relevance in the opposition space, the tragic incident has given its rivals a helpful handful, more so as Scheduled Castes — at nearly 32%, the highest for any state — are a crucial voting bloc in Punjab.The matter is likely to be heard by the Punjab and Haryana high court this week and the family of Gulzar Singh is among the petitioners.The Dalit labourer, distressed by his son’s addiction, had questioned Cheema, an influential figure in the AAP govt, at a public gathering about why ‘chitta’ (synthetic drug) was freely available in the village, which is part of Cheema’s constituency.In video statements he recorded before his death, Gulzar alleged that he was threatened and humiliated for confronting the minister and asked to apologise.His death, which has been taken up by National Commission for Scheduled Castes and National Human Rights Commission, has led the opposition to corner the Bhagwant Mann govt over its ‘failure to check rampant drug addiction in the state’.AAP govt formed a four-member Special Investigation Team, headed by ADGP Naunihal Singh, on the family’s demand to probe his suicide.While the Mann govt has accused its rivals of politicising the issue and asserted that it has made arrests, there is no let-up in the political heat, with the opposition raising issues such as why Gulzar was shuttled between hospitals, whether he received adequate treatment, including ventilator support, and whether his family was pressured into cremating him.Congress on Tuesday carried out protests, while BJP too has been spearheading an agitation and is set to launch a statewide campaign against drugs. Opposition members have argued that their demand for Cheema’s resignation is aimed at ensuring a credible inquiry.
