Shri Amit Shah’s outreach to bereaved families offers an opportunity to turn public anguish into a sustained campaign against the drug tradThere should be no need for a grieving father, waiting for the cremation of his son, to take up the extra responsibility of keeping a social movement intact. However, this is exactly the undesirable situation in which Bhim Singh, an ex-serviceman who lost his son, Parvinder Singh Jhota, an anti-drug activist who was killed in Mansa, has found himself. The death of his son and his body still lying in a mortuary in pursuit of justice makes his call for unity all the more morally compelling than any political jargon.

It is imperative for Punjab to listen to this cry. There is an underlying issue behind this grief that has not been addressed satisfactorily by any one of the drug campaigns conducted over the years: whether the state can provide protection to those citizens who decide to stand up against the illegal drug business. If there is always a fear of being threatened with violence, confidence is lost and fear sets in.These include the murder of Jhota, the demise of Bikramjit Singh after being attacked in Gurdaspur, and the reported suicide of Gulzar Singh in Sangrur. The facts behind these incidents need to be investigated independently and objectively. It is not necessary that there are similar causes and contexts behind all these incidents. But collectively, they have heightened fears about the safety of people opposing the reported spread of drugs. The decision of the Home Ministry of the Union Government to request reports on these incidents reflects the seriousness of these concerns.

The need now is to channel the outrage in the public to a consistent and goal-oriented effort. It is not feasible for Punjab to have a repeated pattern where each time there is a disaster that creates an outburst of anger, official reassurances bring hope again and then people lose interest until someone else is held accountable. This unity that is being generated across organizations and affiliations should become a sustainable collective effort.A visit to the victims’ families by the Home Minister of Union Government, Shri Amit Shah, is a crucial chance to present their grievances to the political leadership at the top level of the country in charge of internal security affairs. The visit should not be limited only to expressing regret. Rather, it should be helpful in initiating necessary action against drug trafficking organizations.

There are strong reasons why one needs to stress the significance of political commitment and coordination in administration. During the regime of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Shri Amit Shah has been a vital player in making constitutional amendments related to Article 370. Similarly, the fight against Left Wing Extremism has involved security measures along with coordination between states and developmental efforts. By October 2025, the Union government has reported that there were 11 districts affected by Left Wing Extremism. In spite of the fact that there is a huge difference between the security threats posed by Punjab’s drug menace and those related to the two aforementioned cases, there is an important message for all of us – complex security threats need consistent political commitment and institutional coordination.A truly decisive war must go beyond mere seizures and sporadic arrests. It is good to arrest one shipment, but even better to disrupt the whole network that will supply in its place. Arresting a small-time peddler should mean tracking down his main supplier, his financial backers, and the networks through which he moves his money. And when it is shown that there is state corruption or political patronage involved, the law must have no fear or favor.

The goal should always be to break down the chain of impunity which allows for criminal syndicates to thrive. The traffickers need to face the realistic possibility of being stripped of their ill-gotten gains, property, and freedom as a result of proper legal investigation, prosecution, and judgment. Just as vital is the assurance given to individuals that coming forward with information about criminal acts will not make them or their loved ones vulnerable to any form of intimidation and repercussions.Having repeatedly assured the people of Punjab that it would eliminate the drug menace within promised deadlines, the Aam Aadmi Party government must now answer for its unfulfilled commitments. With the crisis persisting, ordinary citizens are being forced to become activists, raising their voices against the drug trade and demanding action. Tragically, those who dare to challenge this menace are losing their lives, exposing the grave risks faced by anti-drug campaigners and the lack of adequate protection for them. When citizens have to risk their lives to fight a menace the government pledged to eradicate, it raises serious questions about accountability and the safety of those seeking change. The AAP government has not moved beyond giving false assurances, failure to protect complainants and witnesses, failure to investigate institutional lapses, and take decisive action against the drug networks threatening Punjab’s future.

The proposal made by Shri Amit Shah could help in galvanizing efforts to fight drug trafficking rings and instill some hope among victims of the drugs who want justice. National skills in investigation and intelligence sharing may help in the crusade against drug trafficking rings, if such skills do not replace state policing.The necessity to make the whole process of the criminal justice system more effective is also evident in the official documents. The parliamentary answer from the Union Home Ministry, quoting the National Crime Records Bureau, stated that pending narcotics-related cases in Punjab increased from 23,671 at the end of 2019 to 45,962 at the end of 2023. Those are old statistics and should not be regarded as the current ones. However, those figures show the necessity to reinforce investigation, forensic science, prosecution and witness protection simultaneously. Enforcement which does not lead to successful and credible outcomes of judicial process can undermine itself.

The behavior of Bhim Singh makes this institution-based argument acquire an exceptional human touch. Before even being able to cremate his son, he is asking the people to stick together. This is quite commendable in light of the fact that it comes out of an unfulfilled tragedy. In his quest for justice for his own family, he is at the same time requesting a struggle that would prevent other families from going through the same tragedy. His message should be seen not as another political message but rather as a message from personal tragedy and beyond.This appeal places a moral responsibility on all who claim to speak on behalf of Punjab. It is crucial that the quest for justice of this grieving family stays at the core of the movement that is emerging around it. This tragedy should never become an excuse for using it to further political narratives. Bhim Singh’s welcome of the visit of Shri Amit Shah signifies his expectation that his intervention would lead to justice being done. His expectation needs to be treated with seriousness and action.

Unity is going to demand that the attempts to sidetrack and divide the movement be countered. It is critical to have scrutiny, critique, and calls for accountability within a movement if it is to remain healthy; this should not be viewed as something that gets in the way of mobilization. While political calculation should not take precedence over the grievances of the grieving families, a movement against drug trafficking is going to need the capacity to contain political disagreements within its solidarity.Not everything about the war on drugs can be boiled down to enforcement. Every teenager who finds themselves addicted to a drug needs to be given the opportunity to receive cheap treatment, rehabilitation, and a viable route back to a normal educational life, career, and family environment. No families should have to fend for themselves within the health care system or spend their entire savings searching for reliable care. The recovery process must not only encompass the medical aspect of the problem but the ongoing treatment of addicts and their families.

This is a crucial time for Punjab. There is a chance of turning all the pain into a long-term process for both the institutions and society. The self-restraint shown by Bhim Singh serves as a guiding star in this process. At the same time, the outreach plan of Shri Amit Shah gives a hope of greater national involvement. The task now is to integrate all these into one package of accountability, review, protection, and achievement of tangible results.At the end of the day, success of this campaign shall be gauged on the basis of two major developments – the erosion of the sense of impunity in the minds of traffickers as far as getting away with breaking the law is concerned, and an increasing belief among citizens that the government will defend them.The real breaking point for Punjab will arrive when those individuals who expose the drug network no longer need to fear for their life, when the criminals have nowhere to hide because of connections and impunity, and when the families struggling with addictions seek help from the government. It is only at that point that the claim of having a drug-free Punjab will start to gain credibility. 

( DAILY WORLD )