Moga Family's Fight Against Son's Heroin Addiction Ends in Death at 22

A 22-year-old man's death in Punjab's Moga district has drawn attention to the availability of heroin in rural areas, after his family said he relapsed following six months of treatment at a private de-addiction centre.

Jaskaran Singh, a resident of Jalalabad village in the Dharamkot area, died on September 21. His parents said they borrowed money to pay for his rehabilitation, only for him to return to drugs after coming home.

His father, Sikander Singh, said his son had been addicted to heroin for a decade. "We took loans and spent thousands on his treatment. He stayed at a de-addiction centre for six months, but relapsed after coming home," he said.

The addiction had stripped the household of its belongings, according to the family. Jaskaran sold items from the house, including his mother's clothes, to fund his habit, his father said. "In the end, we had nothing left to sell and no money to take him to the hospital. We had to ask others for help."

Jaskaran, the elder of two brothers, allegedly used drugs through injections and spent his daily-wage earnings on them, the family said.

His mother, holding a photograph of her son, said heroin — known locally as chitta — is as easily available in the village as sugar. "My son is gone, but 10 to 12 other young men are also trapped in drugs. I don't want another mother to lose her son," she said.

The family has demanded action against those allegedly supplying drugs in the village and surrounding areas, and asked authorities to establish how the supply continues.

Police have not confirmed that drug use caused Jaskaran's death. Dharamkot station house officer Jitender Singh said the exact cause of death is yet to be established and will be known after the post-mortem examination.