'Drugs easily available in our village,' rues brother of 26-year-old who died of overdose in Sirsa

A 26-year-old man, Arshdeep, died of drug overdose at Abubshahar village in Dabwali on Tuesday afternoon. His body was found near a water treatment plant with a syringe, pointing to his death due to drug overdose.

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His family said Arshdeep had been struggling with drug addiction for the past three years. According to his elder brother, Gurlabh Singh, Arshdeep had recently returned from Bikaner, Rajasthan, where he was working as a labourer. The family believed he had quit drugs and was undergoing treatment in Dabwali. Doctors were regularly updating the family on his health.

He said despite receiving marriage proposals, Arshdeep and the family would turn those down due to his addiction. “We didn’t want to ruin any girl’s life,” Gurlabh said. He said intoxicant pills and drugs were easily available in their village and many people were openly selling them.

Notably, this is the third drug-related death in Abubshahar village within just 16 days. Arshdeep reportedly used to dissolve pills and inject the solution.

MP Kumari Selja hits out at state govt

Reacting to the situation, Sirsa MP Kumari Selja criticised the Haryana Government, blaming its "negligence" for the growing drug menace. She said the drug mafia was operating without fear, and the law and order situation was worsening. “Youths are turning to theft, robbery and violence to fund their addiction. The government is silently watching their future being destroyed,” she alleged in a media statement.

Selja alleged that drugs, once limited to border areas near Punjab, had now spread across the entire Haryana. “Smack and injectable drugs are being sold openly, even in villages. College and school students are falling into this trap,” she warned.

Calling the situation alarming, she demanded strict action against the drug mafia, an increase in de-addiction centres and special campaigns to stop drug distribution and use. She said, “Every month, a youth dies due to drugs in Sirsa. The latest deaths show how uncontrolled this crisis has become.”