Chandigarh : Following the death of Dalit labourer Gulzar Singh in Punjab’s Sangrur district, former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Thursday demanded the arrest of state Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and called for a CBI inquiry into the case.
A Congress delegation led by Channi met Governor Gulab Chand Kataria to raise concerns over the law and order situation in the state, accusing the AAP government of furthering "gangsterwaad" and curbing citizens' right to protest.
Adressing media after meeting the Governor, the senior Congress leader said that democracy is being undermined in the state, alleging that the government's claims of a drug-free Punjab were false
"We met the Punjab Governor today over the law and order situation and the state govt was furthering 'gansgterwaad'. Punjab government is taking away our right to protest. There is no democracy in Punjab today. You (Punjab govt) say that there are no drugs in the state. A man named Gulzar raised the issue of drugs, but you sent the police to his house. His son did not even get a chance to pay tribute to his father," he said.
He further alleged that some AAP MLAs were themselves involved in the drug trade and demanded action against Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema. "Their MLAs (AAP) themselves are involved in drugs. We demand that Cheema ji resign and be arrested," Channi said.
Referring to senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Channi said, "Rahul Gandhi has understood the pain of a Dalit family and how the Punjab government is patronising drugs. Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann should be ashamed of the statements they are making."
Charanjit Singh Channi was joined by senior party leaders Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Barindermeet Singh Pahra, and Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa. Later, speaking to news agency, Channi said, "We want a CBI inquiry in the case of Gulzar Singh. We want Harpal Cheema to be named in the FIR. He should resign, and he should be arrested."
"The family never gave consent (for last rites). I reached the hospital at night. They forcibly took him from the hospital, forcibly conducted his cremation, and everything was done forcibly by the police and the government. They are patronising gangsters. AAP welcomed a gangster with 47 cases against him on stage in front of thousands of people, inducted him into the party and is now going to give him a ticket," he added.
Gulzar Singh, a member of the Valmiki community, died by suicide after allegedly facing harassment, intimidation and threats from local party affiliates. The incident followed a public interaction where Singh had confronted Cheema over the drug menace affecting his son.
Following the interaction, Singh allegedly faced harassment and pressure from local leaders and panchayat members to publicly apologise for questioning the minister.
The family of Gulzar Singh has demanded justice over his death and alleged that his last rites were carried out forcibly without their consent.
Gulzar Singh’s son Lakhwinder Singh alleged that the administration conducted the cremation without the family’s approval and that they were not allowed to see his father’s face before the last rites.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi slammed the AAP government in Punjab following the alleged suicide of Gulzar Singh. In a post on X, Gandhi alleged that Singh was tormented, humiliated, and ultimately driven to suicide after he publicly questioned Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema about the unchecked drug menace that had impacted his own son.
He demanded immediate action in the Gulzar Singh case, calling for the resignation of the Punjab Finance Minister and an independent, impartial and time-bound investigation, saying that “anything less is eyewash.”
The Congress leader demanded that the Punjab Chief Minister immediately seek the resignation of the Finance Minister and that the minister’s name be included in the FIR.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Mann and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal hit back at Gandhi’s criticism of the Punjab government, alleging “politics over dead bodies.”
Both Mann and Kejriwal shared a video of a confrontation between Congress leaders, who visited the deceased's village, and villagers.
The Punjab CM said that all the accused in the case were arrested. Hitting back, he held the Shiromnews agency Akali Dal, BJP, and Congress governments responsible for the drug menace in Punjab.
Mann, in a post on X, said, “Rahul Gandhi ji, don't do politics over dead bodies; Punjabis don't like this kind of politics. Look here, when Congress leaders went to the victim's village and still tried to indulge in this dirty politics, the people chased them away from there. In this case, all the accused have already been caught by the police based on identification by the family. The Akali, BJP, and Congress governments have been responsible for spreading drugs in Punjab. In my government, no drug smuggler will be spared.”
Echoing a similar sentiment, Kejriwal denied AAP leaders’ connection to the death of Gulzar Singh. In an X post, the AAP chief wrote, “Rahul ji, the Punjab government is fighting a decisive war against drugs. Who brought drugs to Punjab? Your Congress government brought them. The Akali Dal and BJP government brought them. For the first time, a state in the entire country is launching a war against drugs in this manner. Today, the Punjab government is trying to clean up the drug menace spread by Congress, Akali Dal, and BJP.”