AAP's Dalit Paradox: Ambedkar On The Wall, And A Minister Facing Grave Questions

Punjab is home to the largest proportion of Dalits in its population among all states, and some recent developments have put the politics concerning them on the boil, giving the Opposition ammunition to fire at the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). A party that displays Dalit icon and eminent jurist Bhim Rao Ambedkar's portraits in its offices is now in the dock for a Dalit man's death. And it's linked to the drug crisis and rural distress, which have emerged as major issues on their own, six months ahead of the state polls.

Gulzar Singh was a resident of Toor Banjara village that fell under the Dirba assembly constituency, from where Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema is the MLA. This area falls in Sangrur, the home district of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Harpal Singh Cheema is a prominent Dalit face of the AAP. 

Gulzar Singh's death has raised questions over the state's high-decibel campaign 'Yudh Naheyan Virudh' (War On Drugs). On September 6, 2026, Harpal Cheema, a Dalit himself, was present in Toor Banjara when Gulzar Singh confronted him publicly and asked why drugs were openly being sold in the village. Instead of supporting Gulzar Singh for providing information about drug smuggling in the village, the minister, staff, and locals allegedly moved him aside. Later that evening, Gulzar Singh was allegedly summoned and subjected to severe pressure, intimidation, and demands to issue an unconditional public apology for questioning the minister.

Distressed, Gulzar Singh consumed a poisonous substance on September 8 and died. Before his death, he recorded a video statement (dying declaration) naming minister Cheema and local panchayat members regarding the intimidation he faced. The minister has denied any role, and a case has been registered against some local leaders.

The death triggered massive statewide political outrage and demands for accountability. He'd said his son was a drug addict. He not only told the minister publicly that his village was stressed due to the availability of drugs but also said three young men had died due to addiction.

Opposition parties had already dubbed the anti-drugs campaign as mere propaganda, and are now accusing the AAP of double standards regarding promises made to the Dalit community and protecting their rights.

Police charged the sarpanch, her husband, and three others with abetment to suicide and under the SC/ST Act, but Harpal Cheema is not named in that FIR, despite the man having made a dying declaration in a viral video clearly naming him as the reason behind his death.

The political fallout is larger than one FIR. The Congress, BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal have all called the FIR a "cover-up". AAP calls it "vulture politics". Another AAP minister, Laljit Singh Bhullar, had resigned from the cabinet on March 21, 2026, following allegations that he abetted the suicide of a state warehousing official. The Opposition wants action against Harpal Cheema along those lines.

Opposition Attacks AAP Over "Promises Not Kept" 

Since Dalits form 32 per cent of the population, parties made a beeline to console Gulzar's family. 

The AAP government did swing into action and announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh besides promising employment to a member of his family. But the Opposition wants Cheema's resignation and action against him.

"Sangrur is the district that elected the Chief Minister and the Finance Minister to the Assembly. The deceased, Gulzar Singh, complained in front of Harpal Cheema that 'chitta' (heroin) was being sold in his locality, that three children in his neighbourhood had already died of drug overdose, and that his own child was also taking drugs. Instead of investigating the accused and acting against the drug mafia, the Finance Minister sends his goons, pressure is put on the family, and Gulzar Singh is pushed to the point of suicide," BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Chugh alleged.

Congress's Punjab affairs in-charge Sachin Pilot also put Cheema in the dock. "The point at which the state of Punjab stands today is a matter of concern for the entire country," he said, “The Chief Minister of this government had said we will end the drug problem in three months. Today four and a half years have passed, and more drugs are being sold than before."

"Today a poor Dalit daily-wage earner, Gulzar Singh, took his own life. Which human being takes his own life except when hope is already finished? That man's crime was that he spoke about his children's drug problem. He committed the crime of asking a question, and under pressure, he was forced to take his own life," he added.

"We have no caste enmity with Harpal Singh Cheema, but he is the Finance Minister," he further said. "A man is taking his life and making a video saying he is taking his life with his own hands because of that person. Does the law not even require that there should be an investigation?” he asked, reminding AAP of its poll promise to appoint a Dalit MLA as Punjab's Deputy Chief Minister.

Punjab Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa of the Congress said AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal is trying to "hide Harpal Cheema's sins", as the party had earlier dropped another cabinet minister, Laljit Singh Bhullar, who was also accused of abetment to suicide.

“There cannot be two laws in this country. District manager (of Punjab State Warehousing Corporation) Gagandeep Singh Randhawa had also died by suicide. In his dying declaration, he named a cabinet minister, Laljit Singh Bhullar. The minister was arrested and has been in jail for seven months. Gulzar Singh clearly stated that Harpal Cheema was responsible for his death. Five people were arrested, but Harpal Cheema was not arrested," he noted.

"Harpal Cheema is Kejriwal's adopted son. We will ensure his resignation. We will come onto the streets. From the Punjab and Haryana High Court, there will be his resignation, there will be his arrest, and he will also go to jail,” Partap Singh Bajwa said.

What Cheema, Mann Said

Cheema has accused Opposition parties of trying to frame him. "The Opposition has turned a family's tragedy into vulture politics. The BJP, SAD and Congress have joined hands to frame a minister and play politics over a dead body. That is a conspiracy, not a search for truth," he said. 

"I have enough evidence to answer every allegation. I will place it on record when the police and the SIT finish their work. I will not try this case on a microphone. The High Court has already said a minister cannot be dragged in merely because someone makes a statement. Gulzar Singh's own words are in the public domain. What the Opposition is running is a calculated campaign to exploit a death for votes," he added.

On the issue of drugs, Harpal Cheema put the onus on previous governments. "Who pushed Punjab into the swamp of drugs and who trapped Punjab's youth? Ask in any village, any city, any bazaar of Punjab about that dark period from 2007 to 2017, when the BJP and the Akali Dal ran a coalition government. When did Punjab first hear the word 'chitta'?" he said.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann backed Cheema. "Talk about Punjab's roads! Talk about changing Punjab's picture! If you have a new plan, bring it. Otherwise, wherever some small incident has happened, all of you rush there, asking for resignations. This vulture politics that starts wherever there is even a faint smell of a corpse ought to stop,” Bhagwant Mann said.