Punjab Congress chief & MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring demanded Harpal Cheema’s resign and an FIR to be registered against him immediately.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Congress AICC general secretary in-charge of Punjab Sachin Pilot, Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and other party leaders were detained by police on Tuesday (September 15, 2026) during a protest to demand the removal of Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema over the alleged death by suicide of a Dalit man.
The protesters, who also demanded an independent probe into the incident, tried to march towards the official residence of Mr. Cheema and force their way through barricades, but were met with water cannons.
Gulzar Singh, who hailed from Dirba in Sangrur district, died by suicide on September 7. . His family has alleged that he was harassed and subjected to casteist slurs for questioning Mr. Cheema about the supply of drugs in his area at an event in Dirba the day before.
Addressing protesters outside the Punjab Congress headquarters here ahead of the march, Mr. Pilot lashed out at the AAP government over Singh’s alleged death by suicide.
He said Singh had raised the issue of the drug menace, but he was subjected to so much pressure that he had to take his own life.
“We have no personal enmity with Cheema sahib. But you are sitting in office, you are the Finance Minister. A man is taking his life and making a video saying that ‘I am taking my own life because of this person’. Does the law not say that there should be an investigation, there should be an FIR?” asked Mr. Pilot.
He claimed the AAP has not fulfilled any of its poll promises and has worked to push Punjab into the “black darkness of drugs”.
“Today, ‘chitta’ (synthetic drugs) is being delivered home. You make a phone call and it is reaching every home,” Mr. Pilot charged.
This is Mr. Pilot’s first visit to Punjab since being appointed as the general secretary in-charge of the state.
The protest brought together the faction-ridden Punjab Congress, with state unit chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who has opposed Mr. Warring’s retention as president, joining the march.
Party workers welcomed Mr. Warring by showering flower petals on him.
Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa also joined the protest.
Heavy police deployment was made and barricades were erected to prevent Congress leaders and workers from heading towards the official residence of Mr. Cheema.
Later, several Congress leaders, including Mr. Pilot and Mr. Bajwa, and workers were detained by police.
A purported video of Singh’s last moments surfaced in which he spoke about questioning Mr. Cheema, prompting opposition parties to demand the resignations of the Finance Minister and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
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Published – September 15, 2026 04:39 pm IST
