Referring to another recent incident, Rahul Gandhi said he had spoken to Mohanjeet Singh, a young man who was allegedly tortured after protesting against chief minister Mann. He asserted that governments were accountable to the people and should not suppress those seeking answers.
Rahul Gandhi urged the chief minister to secure the finance minister’s resignation and ensure that Cheema’s name was included in the First Information Report. He also called for swift justice for Singh’s family.
Following a complaint from the family, police booked five people under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with abetment of suicide, along with relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
A purported video recorded shortly before Singh’s death showed him raising concerns before Cheema about the availability of “chitta”, a commonly used term for synthetic drugs, in his area. In the video, he also referred to his son’s alleged drug use and held the village sarpanch responsible for his situation.
The video’s circulation on social media intensified the political controversy, with the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiromani Akali Dal accusing the state government of failing to address Punjab’s drug problem. Opposition parties have demanded an investigation, while the BJP and Congress have also called for the resignations of Mann and Cheema.
The AAP government is separately facing criticism over allegations that another Sangrur villager was tortured in custody after waving black flags and raising slogans against the administration over the drug issue.
With PTI inputs
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