Sangrur Man Who Took Poison in Drug Protest Faces Nine Cases, Police Say

A young man who swallowed a poisonous substance outside the deputy commissioner's office in Punjab's Sangrur district, in protest against what he said was unchecked drug sales in his village, now faces nine criminal cases, police said on Tuesday.

Jagseer Singh, also known as Jagga, went to the deputy commissioner's office and staged a protest, alleging that drugs were being sold in his village and that no action followed despite his complaints to the sarpanch and local authorities. He then consumed poison and was taken to hospital by bystanders.

The incident triggered a political row, with opposition parties attacking the ruling Aam Aadmi Party government over the drug menace in the border state.

The case took a new turn when police, at a press conference, said Jagga was not someone who had consistently stood against drug abuse. According to the police, he faces at least nine cases, including charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. The most recent case against him was registered this year, they said.

The police disclosure is likely to blunt the opposition's attack on the Bhagwant Mann government in a state where elections are due soon.

Earlier, the Congress's Punjab in-charge Sachin Pilot said the incident reflected the "pressure and mistreatment" faced by those who speak out against drugs in the state. He alleged that Jagga had received threats and faced harassment after posting videos against drugs, and questioned the accountability of the AAP government and its administration.

BJP leader Parminder Brar also targeted the AAP government, linking the case to two similar incidents in the past month.

In May, Mann defended his government's anti-drug campaign, saying it had recorded an 87 per cent conviction rate under the NDPS Act.