22-yr-old youth dies of drug overdose

A 22-year-old youth reportedly died due to drug overdose in Naushehra village, located on Majitha Road in Amritsar district today. The deceased was identified as Ajay Kumar, a resident of Naushehra village. He was the only brother of five sisters. According to information, two youths reportedly consumed drugs, leading to immediate death of Ajay Kumar, while the other was rushed to the hospital in a critical condition.

According to victim’s family, Ajay got hooked to drugs few years ago. His kin had made every effort to help him shun drugs. He had undergone treatment at a rehabilitation centre, but failed to give up drugs. This time, an overdose proved fatal for him.

The incident has left Ajay’s family and villagers in deep grief. The bereaved family and local residents alleged police negligence, while stating that drug supply was rampant in the village for a long time. The victim’s family said they had informed the police several times about the open sale of drugs in the village, but no concrete steps were taken to stop it.

Residents of Naushehra village also pointed out that the government had recently launched a campaign titled “war against drugs” in which they were claiming to curb the supply of drugs. They said drug peddlers remain unaffected and continued to sell narcotics openly. The grieving family and villagers have urged the Punjab Government and the police to take stringent action against drug traffickers operating in the area. Residents are worried that if immediate action is not taken, more addicts could die due to drug addiction.

However, police officials were not aware of any such death due to drug overdose.