Drug addiction ends in fatal overdose, Amritsar man leaves family in despair
Kamal Kaur (30) is shattered and now fearing for her family's future. Her husband Jatinder Singh (32) was found dead near Haripura cremation ground in Dhapai village on Tuesday morning. He allegedly died of drug overdose.
The family came to know about the death after a social media post about an unknown person lying dead due to drug overdose near the cremation ground had gone viral. The family members reached the spot and took away his body. They did not lodge any complaint with the police. However, taking suo moto notice, the Islamabad police registered an FIR in this connection.
Jatinder was a sanitation worker at a wedding palace and his wife Kamal Kaur works as a domestic help. The couple has two children -- Maneet Singh (12) and Malkeet Singh (14) who study classes 8 and 10, respectively, at a government school.
Lakhwinder Singh, elder brother of Jatinder, said Jatinder had gone to work as usual on Monday, but did not return. He used to take medicine from an OOAT centre at Chheharta. Eventually, his struggle with addiction ended in a fatal overdose, leaving his family in shock and despair. “Everybody in the family asked him to shun drugs and look after his family. He even got treatment from a hospital, but he again relapsed and started taking drugs which took its toll on his health too,” he said.
“The area around Tapoban, Haripura cremation ground has become a den of drug abusers,” he pointed out, adding that police and the government have failed to curb the menace.
When The Tribune team visited the spot, the people complained that the entire open ground area, which otherwise is densely populated with some industrial units, has become notorious for drug abuse. A resident, on condition of anonymity, said people fear to send their children towards this part of the area. One can see empty bottles of injections lying near the cremation ground which testifies the claims of the residents.
The residents have called upon the government to dismantle the drug network operating in the state. Urging immediate action, they appealed to authorities to ensure that no other family has to suffer the same pain.
Meanwhile, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Vishaljeet Singh said: “The accused was addicted for a long time and admitted in a drug de-addiction centre. The family doesn't want to file a complaint. However, we have registered an FIR under Section 105 of BNS in the Islamabad police station and investigation is going on. We are committed to completely eradicating drugs from society”.
