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New Delhi, Sep 9 (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked the AAP government in Punjab over the alleged suicide of a villager who had questioned Finance Minister Harpal Cheema about unabated supply of drugs, demanding Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann immediately seek the minister's resignation and ensure an impartial and time-bound probe.

The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha further alleged that a dangerous pattern is emerging under the AAP government, where questioning its failures is met with threats and torture .

Gulzar Singh, a 47-year-old Dalit man from Dirba in Sangrur district, died on Monday night after allegedly consuming poison. His family said he had questioned Cheema about the supply of drugs in the area during an event in Dirba on September 6.

In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, "A dangerous pattern is emerging under the AAP government in Punjab -- if you question the government's failures, the response will come in the form of threats and torture.

"Gulzar Singh ji, from the Dalit community, who had to watch his son fall victim to drugs, asked the finance minister just this much: why has the government failed so miserably in stopping drug trade? For just this, he was tortured and humiliated so much, pressured so intensely to apologise, that he consumed poison," Gandhi said.

Wandering from one hospital to another without access to treatment, he ultimately lost the battle for his life, he alleged.

"Last week, I also spoke with a young Mohanjeet Singh, who was tortured for protesting against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann," Gandhi wrote, asserting that the government's job is to answer the people, not to trample upon those who ask questions.

"May Gulzar Singh ji's family get justice as soon as possible. The chief minister should immediately demand the finance minister's resignation and ensure an independent and impartial investigation, with his name registered in the FIR," Gandhi said.

In another post in Hindi, Gandhi urged people of Punjab, particularly Dalits, to remain vigilant about the alleged misuse of power by the AAP government.

"Listen to what happened to Gulzar Singh ji, who belonged to the Valmiki community, in his final days -- hear it straight from the mouths of his family, his mother, his wife, and his brother," Gandhi said, tagging a post by the Congress carrying a video clip of remarks by Singh's family.

"They tormented him in life, and even in death, they are dishonouring Gulzar Singh ji. The grieving family members themselves are saying even his right to traditional last rites was snatched away from them," he alleged.

He reiterated that the chief minister should immediately demand the resignation of the finance minister, who should be named in the FIR, and there should be an independent, impartial and time-bound probe into the entire matter. "Anything less is not justice; it is mere eyewash," Gandhi said.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal hit back at Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on the alleged suicide of the Punjab villager and accused him of indulging in "dirty politics over a dead body".

Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia also accused the Congress leader of "lying over the corpse of a poor Dalit labourer".

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, too, slammed the AAP government in Punjab. "What happened in Gulzar Singh's tragic suicide case is a repeat of Hathras 2020. A Dalit victim's death is hushed up, while the powers-that-be try to protect their image and shield the guilty," he said on X.

"The AAP government in Punjab is making it clear that it draws its inspiration from the BJP -- showing insensitivity and apathy to the plight of socially marginalised, and cruel misuse of authority to deny justice," Venugopal said.

This "anti-Dalit government" will be thrown out in upcoming elections, and the Congress will ensure it, he said.

Congress' media chief Pawan Khera hit out at AAP, terming the party "English-medium BJP".

"The forcible cremation of Gulzar Singh ji's body under heavy police deployment -- and without the family's consent -- under the AAP regime in Punjab is deeply disturbing," he said.

It is a chilling reminder of September 2020, when Uttar Pradesh Police hastily cremated the body of the 19-year-old Dalit rape victim from Hathras in the dead of night, without her family's presence or consent, Khera said.

"Denying a grieving family even the basic dignity of deciding how and when their loved one's last rites are performed -- or even the final chance to see their loved one -- is an inhuman abuse of state power. With this, the AAP has made one thing abundantly clear: It is just English-medium BJP," Khera said.

Punjab's drug crisis has become the centre of a political debate, with the BJP and Congress targeting the ruling AAP following Singh's alleged suicide after he questioned Cheema about unabated supply of 'chitta' (adulterated heroin) in the state.

Following a complaint by Singh's family, five people have been booked under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for abetment of suicide and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, according to the FIR.

A purported video of his last moments shows the daily-wager asking Cheema about the availability of drugs in his area, saying the sarpanch would be responsible for his death and admitting that his son took drugs.

After the emotive video went viral, opposition parties, including the Shiromani Akali Dal, stepped up attacks on the Bhagwant Mann-led government and demanded a probe. The issue rippled across to Delhi, with the BJP and Congress calling for resignations of Mann and Cheema and alleging that Singh was pressured into taking his life.

As Punjab politics heats up ahead of elections due in the next few months, the state government is also facing criticism over alleged custodial torture of another villager from Sangrur for waving black flag and raising slogans against the AAP government over the issue of drug abuse. PTI ASK ARB ARB

(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)