Amit Shah Visits Punjab Amid Drug Crisis Political Clash

Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the Mansa, Sangrur, and Gurdaspur districts of Punjab on October 20 to meet families of individuals killed or driven to suicide after opposing the synthetic drug trade. The visit focused on the murder of activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa, the death of Bikramjit Singh in Gurdaspur, and the suicide of Gulzar Singh in Sangrur. The Ministry of Home Affairs of India has requested detailed reports from the state government regarding these deaths.

Shah launched the 'Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra' and pledged that a BJP government would eliminate the drug trade by December 31, 2029. He accused the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of pushing the state into an abyss of drugs through the patronage of traffickers. In response, AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP of facilitating narcotics smuggling via the Adani port and protecting gangsters in Sabarmati Jail.

The political pressure intensified as Sachin Pilot, the Congress in-charge of Punjab, conducted a five-day tour ending in Moga on October 19. Pilot criticized the AAP administration for a deterioration in law and order, citing rising extortion and daylight killings. While BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu asserted that the AAP government has lost its mandate, an action committee in Mansa boycotted Shah's visit, alleging the BJP is exploiting public sympathy for political gain ahead of the 2027 elections.