Sangrur: Police have registered a case against five individuals for abetment of suicide and the alleged use of casteist slurs following the death of a 47-year-old Dalit man in Toor Banjara village, Sangrur district, Punjab. The dispute reportedly began after the man raised the issue of the village’s drug problem with Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema.
DSP Dirba, Rupinder Kaur Bajwa, stated that the investigation is underway and police are making efforts to arrest the accused. The deceased passed away while undergoing treatment at Dayanand Medical College & Hospital (DMC) in Ludhiana.
The police have registered the case under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Raised son’s drug addiction issue before the Minister
The incident unfolded during a public event held in the village on Sunday. The deceased approached the stage and pleaded with Finance Minister Harpal Cheema for help in curing his son’s drug addiction. He explained that his son had even sold household items to fund his addiction.
According to Market Committee Chairperson Jasveer Kaur Shergil, the Minister listened to him and gave him the opportunity to voice his request for treatment facilities from the stage.
Following the event, police personnel visited the man’s home and conducted a search but found no illegal narcotics.
Allegation regarding public apology before the Panchayat
There was reportedly resentment among some locals regarding the police action. It is alleged that five villagers—Baljit Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Vicky Singh, Gona Singh, and Baljinder Singh**—hurled casteist abuses at the deceased and summoned him to issue a public apology before the village Panchayat on Monday. According to his family, the man ingested a poisonous substance, driven to the act by this alleged harassment.
Family speaks of drug-related tragedy
The deceased’s mother claimed there is a severe drug problem in the area. She stated that two of her other sons had also previously died, allegedly due to injecting ‘Chitta’ (heroin).
After consuming the poison, the man was initially taken to Rajindra Hospital in Patiala for treatment, but was moved to another hospital because no ICU bed was available. Later, as his condition deteriorated, he was referred to DMC Ludhiana, where he passed away during treatment.
The police state that the investigation is ongoing and action is being taken to arrest the named accused.