Villagers block traffic in protest over deaths due to drug overdose

Residents of Pawala village and nearby areas disrupted traffic and staged a dharna on the Fatehgarh Sahib-Chandigarh Road at Chuni town, protesting the deaths of two cousins within a week due to drug overdoses. The protesters, who placed the body of the deceased Jaspal Singh on the road, alleged the police had failed to stop the open sale of drugs in the area. They claimed over five people have died from overdoses in the past month.

The protesters raised slogans against both the government and the police, accusing them of not taking sufficient action to address the growing drug problem. A police team, led by Raj Kumar Sharma, Bassi Pathana DSP, arrived at the scene in an attempt to calm the crowd, but the efforts were unsuccessful. The youth engaged in heated arguments with the police, alleging drug sales were taking place with police complicity. Women at the protest were particularly vocal, also voicing their frustrations with the police.

In an interview with The Tribune, local youths said that five deaths had occurred in the village within the past month, including two cousins who died of overdoses in the same week. They claimed drugs were easily available in the village and surrounding areas, despite repeated complaints to the police. They also alleged the police were harassing complainants, forcing them to visit police stations daily while drug dealers continued their activities unchecked.

Fatehgarh Sahib SSP Subham Agarwal stated the police would launch a comprehensive mission to combat the drug menace. He instructed officers to conduct a thorough operation to target drug peddlers in all villages. Agarwal assured the protesters that several peddlers had already been arrested.