Amit Shah visits Punjab to meet families of anti‑drug victims

What happened

Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Punjab on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, to meet the families of three victims whose deaths have been associated with the state's drug crisis. He first visited Mansa, where anti‑drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot dead on 13 October after confronting a pharmacy owner. In Sangrur’s Toor Banjara village he met the family of Gulzar Singh, who died by suicide in September following complaints about synthetic drug availability. The final stop was Mari Panwan, Gurdaspur, where Bikramjit Singh’s relatives were received after his fatal attack, which police say stemmed from a personal dispute rather than drugs.

Who is involved

• Amit Shah – Union Home Minister, who posted on X that the AAP government has "pushed Punjab into the pit of drugs" and pledged concrete action.
• Kewal Singh Dhillon – Punjab BJP president, announced the itinerary and said families expect justice.
• Harsimrat Kaur Badal – Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader, wrote to Shah urging a CBI probe into Jhota’s murder and a broader inquiry into alleged politician‑police drug links.
• Arvind Kejriwal – AAP national convenor, criticised the visit as a partisan lecture, accusing the BJP of shielding gangsters.
• Families of Parvinder Singh Jhota, Gulzar Singh and Bikramjit Singh – seeking accountability and protection for other whistle‑blowers.
• Ministry of Home Affairs – has asked the Punjab government for detailed reports on all three cases.

What happens next

The Home Ministry’s request for reports is expected to be followed by a decision on whether to authorise a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, a demand repeatedly voiced by Jhota’s father, Bhim Singh. Meanwhile, a dharna (sit‑in protest) continues in Mansa, with activists urging Shah not to share the stage with political parties but to focus on law‑enforcement reforms. Political parties – BJP, AAP, Congress and the SAD – are all attempting to claim the drug issue as a key electoral plank, suggesting it could become a defining theme in the upcoming Punjab assembly polls.

Key numbers

• Three families met by the minister – Jhota, Gulzar and Bikramjit.
• Date of visit: 20 October 2026.
• Jhota’s death: 13 October 2026 (shot).
• Gulzar’s death: September 2026 (suicide).
• Punjab’s drug‑related deaths: reported rise of over 30 % in the past year, according to state health data (figures cited by local officials).