Why has a Punjab villager’s death triggered political uproar across the State? | Explained

The story so far: On the night of September 7, 2026, 47-year-old Gulzar Singh from Toor Banjara village in Punjab’s Sangrur district died by suicide. It’s alleged that he took the extreme step after he was pressured by local Aam Aadmi Party supporters to apologise for questioning Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema over the drug menace in his village during an event at Dirba that was held on September 6.

Singh’s family members had alleged that he was harassed and subjected to casteist slurs after he questioned the Finance Minister about drug supply in his village and surrounding areas, citing his son’s addiction, at an event in Dirba. Later, a purported video showing Mr. Singh’s final moments emerged, in which he talks about having confronted the Finance Minister. The family also alleged that the cremation was done forcibly by the administration without their consent.

The police registered a case under under Section 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(s) of the the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and have booked five people under Section 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was sent by the police to probe the death case. Subsequently, an FIR was registered against five villagers, including Baljit Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Vicky Singh, Gona Singh and Baljinder Kaur.

National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) Chairman Kishor Makwana, who met the family of the deceased, noted that Singh had been speaking out against the drug menace, which he said was ruining the lives of numerous young people in the area. He had sought a detailed report on Singh’s death from the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has also asked the Punjab government to submit a status report on the investigation into Singh’s death, in connection with a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a CBI probe into the matter. The next hearing in the matter has been fixed for October 6.

What has triggered the uproar

The disclosure made in Singh’s purported video, where he is heard speaking about having confronted the Finance minister shortly before his death triggered a huge uproar as mainstream political parties cornered the ruling AAP government, demanding Mr. Cheema’s removal from the cabinet and an independent investigation into the death case.

Members of the Congress party staged a demonstration in Chandigarh against the Finance Minister, demanding his resignation. Congress party’s Punjab affairs general secretary-in-charge, Sachin Pilot, noted that while the party has nothing personal against Mr. Cheema, he questioned “doesn’t the law demand registration of an FIR followed by a detailed probe when a person has mentioned the Minister’s name in his dying declaration?’

The BJP has been demanding a CBI probe into the matter, even as its State president Kewal Singh Dhillon, stated that Singh’s death has exposed the AAP government’s “hollow” claims of eradicating drugs from Punjab. The Shiromani Akali Dal, which has hit out at the AAP over the issue, has announced a protest demonstration at Dirba, on September 18, seeking “justice for family of late Gulzar Singh”.

What the AAP Minister says

Breaking his silence on the issue, Mr. Cheema blamed the opposition parties of playing politics over “dead bodies”. Asserting that he had nothing to do with the matter, and since the case was currently before the court, he would refrain from commenting on it extensively.

“The opposition is doing politics over dead bodies and I have nothing to do with the matter. The case is currently before the court and therefore I will not make extensive comments on it. The family’s original statement is already in the public domain. People have seen it and know the facts surrounding the matter,” he stated recently.

What lies ahead

With Punjab heading into Assembly elections, due in early 2027, mainstream political parties, including the Congress, SAD, and BJP are aggressively seizing on the issue. Close to 32% of Punjab’s population belongs to the the Scheduled Caste community, the highest in the country and no political party wants to risk alienating this significant electorate, whose support could prove decisive in a closely contested election. According to academic estimates, in Punjab, Dalit voters have a high to moderate electoral influence in at least 55 Assembly constituencies of the total 117 Assembly constituencies, making their consolidation a vital factor capable of tilting the outcome in a substantial number of seats.

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