After Anti-Drug Activist Killing, Suspected Overdose Death In Punjab's Mansa

The family of a 35-year-old man from Mansa district in Punjab placed his body on a main road on Tuesday and blocked traffic, demanding action against people they say sell drugs in the area. They suspect he died of a drug overdose. Police say the cause of death will be known only after the post-mortem examination.

The man, Daljit Singh, lived in Bhamme Kalan village. His family suspects that he died of a drug overdose. They allege that he went to Mansa on Tuesday morning to get drugs and was later found dead in fields near Ramanandi.

After his death, family members placed his body on the Sirsa-Mansa road and blocked traffic. They demanded the immediate arrest of those allegedly involved in selling drugs in the area, and warned that the blockade would continue until the authorities acted.

According to the family, Daljit Singh was married and had two children. He was the sole breadwinner of the household, and his death has left the family devastated.

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His wife, Paramjit Kaur, and his mother, Sinder Kaur, along with other relatives, alleged that drugs continue to claim lives in Punjab despite repeated government assurances to end the problem.

The family demanded that police identify and arrest those allegedly supplying drugs in the area. They said the easy availability of narcotics was putting more lives at risk.

The latest incident has again brought the drug problem in Punjab, particularly in Mansa district, into focus. It comes days after the Parvinder Singh Jhota case, which sparked a political controversy over drug trafficking and accountability.\

READ | Senior Police Officer, Drug Inspector Suspended Over Punjab Activist Parvinder Jhota's Murder By Chemist

Jhota, an anti-drug activist from Mansa, was killed in a shooting incident, after which his family demanded an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The case was later handed over to the CBI, and police officials were suspended amid allegations of inaction against the illegal drug trade.

The latest suspected overdose death is likely to intensify concerns over the continued availability of drugs in the district, and to put fresh pressure on the authorities to act against suppliers.

Sardulgarh Deputy Superintendent of Police Harpreet Singh said the exact cause of Daljit Singh's death would be established only after the post-mortem examination. He assured the family that those involved in drug peddling would be arrested soon.