Village for ‘sale’: Residents put up poster in protest against drug trade

To protest drug trade, residents of Bhai Bakhtaur village here have put up a handwritten poster declaring that their village is "up for sale”.

This followed an incident in which a former Army man, Ranveer Singh, was brutally assaulted by drug peddlers.

His both legs were fractured in the incident. Ranveer Singh is a member of the village’s anti-drug committee.

Earlier too, some residents had put up a poster in the village, stating that narcotics were sold there.

In a video that surfaced on social media, local youth Lakhvir Singh Sidhu, also known as Lakkhi Sidhu, revealed the reasons behind this desperate move.

He said due to “unchecked drug trade” in the village, the safety of women, shopkeepers, farmers and labourers had been severely compromised, leaving them with no option other than selling their land and shift to other places.

Lakhvir Singh said the condition of their village had become worse than that of many areas in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

He shared a detailed information on social media about the drug trade in the village and how “police inaction emboldened the drug peddlers”.

He alleged that Ranveer Singh was mercilessly beaten up by drug peddlers, breaking his legs — one of which was now permanently damaged.

Ranveer Singh is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Bathinda.

The youth claimed two to three persons in the village were “openly involved” in selling heroin and that the police “had not been able to take any action against them”. According to him, the drug peddlers “openly boasted” about their “arrangements” with the police.

He said Ranveer Singh might have been targeted as he used to actively discourage the youth from consuming drugs, and instead join the Army or take up sports.

He also claimed that many drug peddlers possessed illegal firearms, using these to instill fear among people.

Baljeet Singh, husband of village sarpanch Karamjit Kaur, confirmed Lakhvir Singh’s claims. He said two or three persons from the village were responsible for the drug trade and strong action must be taken against them.

Superintendent of Police (Rural) Heena Gupta said an FIR had been registered against those responsible for the assault on Ranveer Singh and raids were being conducted to arrest the accused. She reiterated that under the Punjab Police’s zero-tolerance policy toward drugs, no one would be spared.

Incident exposes govt’s war against drugs: BJP

Meanwhile, Vineet Joshi, head of the BJP media cell in Punjab, said the incident exposed the reality behind the government’s war against drugs.

In a statement, he said it reflected Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led government’s failure in making the state drug-free by 31.

He also claimed that on June 1, Punjab witnessed three deaths due to drug overdose Deharka (Ludhiana), Rodikpura (Faridkot) and Senia (Fazilka).