Chandigarh: Union home minister Amit Shah will visit Punjab on Oct 20 to meet the families of victims and activists linked to the state’s drug crisis, escalating pressure on the governing Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of 2027 state assembly elections.Shah announced the visit on X. “The AAP govt has left no stone unturned in pushing Punjab into the quagmire of drugs, as a result of which countless families have had to lose their children. I will meet the families of those individuals who, under the patronage of the AAP govt, have recently had to sacrifice their lives for raising their voices against the smugglers peddling white powder, on Tuesday (Oct 20) in Mansa, Sangrur, and Gurdaspur...” he wrote in a post in Punjabi.In Mansa, he will meet the family of anti-drug activist Parminder Singh Jhota, who was shot dead on Oct 13 following an altercation with a chemist over the alleged illegal sale of synthetic drugs. Protesters in Mansa have refused to perform Jhota’s final rites, demanding a CBI investigation. The main accused, Ashwani Kumar, has been arrested.In Sangrur, Shah is scheduled to meet relatives of Gulzar Singh of Toor Banjara village, who died by suicide last month after alleging harassment for confronting officials over local drug sales. He is also scheduled to meet the family of Bikramjit Singh who was killed in Mari Panwan, Batala, Gurdaspur, on Oct 15, allegedly over drug matter.Shah promised the Centre would “selectively put the drug smugglers behind bars and will ensure the entire country, including Punjab, is freed from this black trade of drugs”.This will be Shah’s second visit in less than a month and comes four days after the MHA sought “a comprehensive factual report” from Punjab govt regarding the murder of Jhota. The same day, the MHA also sought reports from the Punjab govt on Gulzar Singh’s death and Bikramjit Singh’s killing. Police have denied any drug angle in Bikramjit’s death.During his previous visit on Sept 30, Shah had declared to make Punjab drug free by the end of Dec 2029 if the BJP was voted to power in the state.A senior Punjab govt functionary told TOI that arrangements were being made for advanced teams of officials, including CRPF, for Mansa, Sangrur and Batala. Shah, as per a party functionary, is scheduled to land in Bathinda on Oct 20.BJP functionary and former Union minister of state Ravneet Singh Bittu told TOI that Jhota’s father Bhim Singh had been continuously “expressing faith in Amit Shah ji”. Bittu said, “Punjab election is in Feb and it is for the people to decide then. But, today the people of Punjab need to extend support to Amit Shah. In wrestling, the only powerful wrestler who can defeat Bhagwant Mann is Amit Shah. He has the power to defeat Bhagwant Mann. We should get our problem (of drugs) resolved by expressing faith in him (Shah) by rising above party lines.”
