Congress steps up attack on Punjab Govt over Gulzar Singh’s suicide

Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Sunday launched a fresh attack on the AAP Government over the alleged suicide of Gulzar Singh, claiming that those who raise their voice against the drug menace in the state are being “intimidated and silenced”.

He said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann can no longer keep on blaming the previous regimes for the drug problem as his government was there now for almost five years.
Warring also said the Congress will hold a massive protest in Chandigarh under the leadership of party general secretary in-charge of Punjab, Sachin Pilot, to seek Finance Minister Harpal Cheema’s dismissal and arrest in the suicide case. Gulzar, who hailed from Dirba in Sangrur, died on September 7 after allegedly consuming poison, with his family alleging that he was harassed and subjected to casteist slurs for questioning Cheema about the drugs in his area during an event.

Warring claimed that the incident was part of a wider pattern in Punjab where people questioning the government’s handling of the drug problem were being “targeted and intimidated”.
He said people are now seeking answers and are not prepared to listen to excuses.

Addressing the sixth session of his live interaction programme, ‘Warring With Warriors’, the PCC president dedicated the session to Gulzar Singh.
Warring said that Gulzar’s “only crime” was that he had approached Cheema and pleaded for action against drugs to save his son from addiction.

“Gulzar Singh raised his voice against drugs to save his son and, in return, got death,” he said.

He further accused the state government of deceiving Gulzar’s family, saying that a recommendation letter regarding employment was presented to the family as a job offer letter to persuade them to proceed with the cremation.
It subsequently emerged that the document was not an appointment or job offer but merely a recommendation from the Sangrur deputy commissioner to the state government, said Warring. 
He also alleged that the family was not allowed to perform the last rites according to its traditions and rituals and that the administration hurriedly conducted the cremation.

The Congress leader questioned the government’s claim that the family had agreed to the arrangements and said the offer of Rs 5 lakh compensation could not compensate for the loss of a human life. “Is the value of a precious life just Rs 5 lakh?” he asked.

Warring also expressed lack of faith in the special investigation team constituted by the state government to investigate the circumstances surrounding Gulzar’s death.
He claimed that the drug problem in Punjab had increased several-fold under the AAP government.

While during the previous Akali government it was ‘chitta’, during the AAP government a new drug has come up known as “zombie”, which leaves users in a rigid or incapacitated state for hours, he alleged.
The PCC chief also accused the government of attempting to suppress reporting of drug-related deaths rather than addressing the problem.