CHANDIGARH — Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has launched a sharp political attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab following the death by suicide of Gulzar Singh, a resident of Sangrur district.
The incident occurred after Singh allegedly faced systemic harassment, coercion, and humiliation for publicly challenging Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema over state failures to curb illicit synthetic drug distribution (chitta).
Political & State Governance Intelligence Matrix
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Inciting Incident: Death by suicide of Gulzar Singh (Toor Banjara village, Sangrur district).
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Core Political Issue: Systemic drug abuse (chitta) in Punjab, public accountability of state ministers, and alleged state-backed intimidation of dissenting citizens.
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Primary Accusations (Rahul Gandhi / Congress):
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Intimidation Framework: Alleged that the AAP administration employs threats, coercion, and physical/mental torture against citizens who question public policy and state failures.
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Coercion & Humiliation: Singh was reportedly pressured by local leaders to issue a public apology after confronting Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema regarding his son’s drug addiction and widespread narcotics availability.
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Pattern of Retaliation: Referenced a parallel case involving Mohanjeet Singh, who was allegedly subjected to custodial torture for holding a black-flag protest during an event attended by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
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Demands & Legal Action:
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Demanded the immediate resignation of Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema.
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Called for an independent probe, including registering Cheema’s name in the formal First Information Report (FIR).
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State Police Action: Punjab Police formed an ADGP-led Special Investigation Team (SIT) and registered an FIR against five individuals under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (abetment to suicide) and the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.
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State Rehabilitation Data:
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Government de-addiction centre admissions surged by 164%—from 9,577 (2024) to 25,290 (2025)—with over 14,000 admissions recorded in the first seven months of 2026.
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