Home Minister Amit Shah Tours Punjab to Meet Families of Drug‑Related Victims

Union Home Minister Amit Shah landed in Punjab on October 20, 2026 for a one‑day tour of three districts tied to the state’s drug‑related violence. He first entered Mari Panwan village in Gurdaspur’s Batala area, where he spoke with the relatives of Bikramjit Singh, a man killed on October 15 after allegedly confronting local drug dealers. Police said the killing stemmed from a quarrel over a mobile phone rather than a drug‑related motive. The minister then travelled to Sangrur district to meet the family of Gulzar Singh, a Dalit worker who died by suicide on September 7. His kin claim he was harassed and subjected to caste slurs after he questioned Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema about drug supplies in his neighbourhood. Later in the day Shah reached Mansa, where he met the relatives of anti‑drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, who was shot inside a medical shop on October 13 while broadcasting on Facebook Live. The shooter, Ashwani Kumar, a pharmacist from Salasar in Rajasthan, was taken into custody. Jhota’s father, Bhim Singh, said he will ask the minister to order a CBI investigation into the killing. Hours before Shah’s arrival, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced that the state will refer the Jhota case to the CBI. Security forces were deployed across the three districts for the minister’s visit. ## Context The drug problem has been a persistent issue in Punjab, prompting central authorities to intervene when local investigations stall. The involvement of the CBI signals a push for a more thorough probe into politically sensitive killings.