Bathinda: Police in Punjab’s Mansa district narrowly averted a mass demolition attempt this week after hundreds of villagers tried to raze the home of a family accused of drug peddling following a local overdose death.The standoff at Nangal Kalan village forced a heavy police deployment to restrain a mob led by the village panchayat (council), which had passed a formal resolution demanding the destruction of the double-storey property. The unrest began late on Tuesday after Amritpal Singh, a local youth, died of a suspected drug overdose. The death ignited long-standing grievances against a local resident, Bawa Singh, known as “Moongi”, and his family.Earlier that evening, sarpanch Resham Singh had used the village gurdwara’s loudspeaker system to rally residents, naming the family as the source of the local drug trade and calling for “unity against peddling”. Following the public denouncement, police seized 110g heroin from Bawa Singh and an associate. Police arrested Bawa Singh’s father, mother, and sister the following morning in connection with the drug trade. A mob of hundreds marched on the family home on Wednesday, intent on demolishing the structure.The Legal StandoffLarge numbers of police officers formed a human shield around the house to prevent the villagers from reaching it. The intervention led to a brief “showdown” between residents and law enforcement before the crowd transitioned into a sit-in protest. The village panchayat’s resolution claims the house was built via illegal encroachment on common village land. To placate the agitators, district authorities have promised an expedited investigation into the land titles.Evading a heavy police cordon, a protester reached the house’s second floor and began dismantling a balcony pillar with a hammer. When a second man arrived to help, police moved in quickly, shoving the first protester off the ledge despite his ally’s frantic efforts to intervene.Official ResponseMansa senior superintendent of police (SSP) Bhagirath Singh Meena told reporters that while law and order must be maintained, the administration was moving on two legal fronts. “The resolution has been forwarded to the block development and panchayat office to verify the encroachment,” Meena said. “If confirmed, the district authorities will take appropriate action to vacate the land.”Meena added that the police were also exploring the attachment of property under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, a legal mechanism that allows the state to seize assets proven to be the proceeds of crime. The situation remains tense as the village awaits the outcome of the land survey, with police remaining on-site to prevent further vigilante action. MSID:: 129923064 413 |
