
Congress leader Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Wednesday slammed Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, raising alarming concerns over the state's worsening drug crisis. In a post on X, citing a viral video of a serving CRPF jawan who spoke out against drug availability and reported facing state intimidation and administrative action for raising his voice, Warring questioned whether highlighting the reality of substance abuse in Punjab has now been criminalised by the state administration.
“This is today's Punjab...Addiction isn't stopping, but the voices rising against addiction are being suppressed. This question wasn't raised by any ordinary citizen, but by a jawan of the CRPF deployed for the country's security. Speak out on addiction and you'll go to jail, ask questions and you'll face action—since when has speaking the truth in Punjab, @BhagwantMann, become a crime?”
Warring accused the Bhagwant Mann government of suppressing citizens, security personnel, and activists who dare to expose local drug networks, alleging that the voice of dissent is met with police action or harassment rather than systemic solutions.
The controversy follows a spate of high-profile incidents across the state, including targeted attacks and killings of anti-drug activists—such as the murder of prominent activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa—and public protests by grieving families. The worsening law-and-order situation has drawn sharp criticism from national opposition leaders and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, leading the Ministry of Home Affairs to seek detailed reports on narcotics-related violence and suicides in Punjab.
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