Harsimrat Badal says post-mortem confirms drug overdose in Daljit’s death, demands report be made public

PTC Web Desk: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal has claimed that the post-mortem report of Daljit Singh shows he died of a drug overdose. On Saturday she asked the Bhagwant Mann government to release the original report immediately.

Daljit, a small farmer from Bhamme Kalan village in Mansa, was found dead on Tuesday on the edge of his village. His family says it was a drug overdose.

In a post on X, Harsimrat Kaur Badal accused the police and the state government of ignoring the family’s version and treating the case as a murder. She alleged that officials were hiding the real circumstances of his death.

She also claimed there is a link between police officials, drug peddlers, politicians and the administration and that powerful people are being protected. Standing with the family, she said she would not let Daljit’s death be forgotten and would keep fighting until those responsible were held to account.

The police have not accepted the overdose theory. Mansa’s SSP Vaibhav Choudhary said the cause of death is still under investigation and that “misinformation” had spread about an overdose. A murder case is being registered and three main accused have been rounded up. The National Human Rights Commission has also taken notice of the death, including allegations about police action and the detention of protesters. 

Daljit’s post-mortem was done at AIIMS Bathinda on Wednesday with the consent of his father, Jarnail Singh. In his statement to the police, Jarnail said he had learnt that three men from nearby Ramanandi village, Mandeep, Gurvinder and another Mandeep, had beaten up his son and made him consume a poisonous substance. He said they had an old dispute with Daljit and asked for legal action against them.

Daljit’s mother, wife and sister have joined the protest in Mansa over the killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota. They have refused to cremate his body until those detained or arrested while taking the body to Mansa are released, the cases against them are withdrawn, action is taken in the matter of his death, which they say was caused by an overdose

Daljit’s body is still lying at AIIMS Bathinda.

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