Gulzar Singh made a video before committing suicide in which he held Minister Harpal Cheema responsible.
A Person who had openly questioned Finance Minister Harpal Cheema about the sale of drugs died by suicide after consuming poison on Monday in Sangrur. Before his death, he recorded a video in which he said that Minister Harpal Cheema, the village sarpanch, and two others were responsible for his death.
On Tuesday, AAP national spokesperson Anurag Dhanda said that two videos related to the incident had surfaced. He said that the first video did not mention the name of any of their ministers anywhere. This can be heard in the video.
Anurag Dhanda said,
When the person had consumed poison, he should have been taken to the hospital immediately. But he was pressured into recording another video and told that he would not be treated until he named the minister. The entire matter should be investigated.
Meanwhile, the body of the deceased, Gulzar Singh, was brought from Ludhiana’s DMC Hospital and kept at Sangrur Civil Hospital. The police have registered a case and arrested the village sarpanch’s husband.
Gulzar Singh was taken to Ludhiana DMC Hospital in critical condition, where he died during treatment.
Know how Gulzar died
On September 6, Minister Harpal Cheema had arrived in Toor Wanjara village to meet the residents. During this time, Gulzar Singh met him and told him that his son and several other villagers were addicted to ‘chitta’ (heroin). He appealed to the minister to take action against it.
The family alleges that afterward, the sarpanch and panch came to their house and threatened Gulzar Singh, telling him to apologize to Minister Harpal Cheema. Distressed by this, he consumed poison. When his condition deteriorated, he was first admitted to the government hospital in Sangrur, from where he was referred to Rajindra Hospital in Patiala.
Upon reaching Patiala, a ventilator was not available, so he was readmitted to a private hospital in Sangrur, where he died at around 11 p.m. during treatment.
What did AAP say about Gulzar’s death?
- AAP national spokesperson Anurag Dhanda said that if a person presents their problem before a minister, it means they trust the government. As soon as Gulzar Singh shared his problem, the people whose names emerged were arrested.
- Dhanda said that politics should not become so dirty that even someone’s life is turned into an issue. He described it as playing politics over corpses. Dhanda said that the Mann government would not spare any drug trafficker and that action would be taken against anyone whose name emerges during the investigation.
- Dhanda also targeted the Akali-BJP government, alleging that extortion was collected from traffickers at that time and that their ministers supplied drugs.
What the opposition said
Threatened to apologise to the minister – BJP
BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia said that Gulzar Singh, a resident of Toor Wanjare village, had complained about his son consuming chitta and demanded action during AAP minister Harpal Singh Cheema’s visit to the village.
Bhatia said that after the minister left, the local sarpanch associated with the ruling party threatened Gulzar Singh and asked him to apologize to the minister. Distressed, Gulzar Singh then consumed poison. He made a video blaming four people for the drug situation in Punjab. He died yesterday while undergoing treatment.
Former CM Channi providing information.
FIR should be filed against the minister: Channi
Former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said that during Finance Minister Harpal Cheema’s visit to Tur Banjara village in the Dirba constituency of Sangrur, Gulzar Singh had complained that his son was using drugs and selling household belongings. He had asked the minister where the drugs were being sourced from. According to Channi, the police then reached Gulzar’s home, and he was summoned to the village council on Monday. Fearing the police and the minister, he consumed pesticide and died by suicide.
Channi said that before his death, Gulzar recorded a video holding Minister Harpal Cheema and the village sarpanch responsible. He alleged that the police were pressuring the family not to file an FIR and were trying to stop the post-mortem. He demanded that an FIR be registered against the minister and the sarpanch and that strict action be taken.
