Chandigarh: The Union home ministry on Friday put the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab on notice, demanding an official response over drug-related tragedies in the state. The move comes as the issue takes centrestage in the run-up to the 2027 assembly elections.

In a sharp offensive, Union home minister Amit Shah took to X and said that the ministry of home affairs (MHA) will seek formal explanations from the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government regarding the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa and the death by suicide of a 50-year-old father in Dirba, Sangrur after facing harassment and casteist slurs for questioning state finance minister Harpal Cheema about local drug supplies. Jhota was shot dead in broad daylight inside a medical store on October 13 for exposing illegal addictive drug sales.

“Punjab is today grappling with a rising threat of drugs, gangsterism, and organised crime,” Shah posted, adding that Jhota’s father had levelled grave allegations against the ruling AAP government and its local MLA. Addressing Mann directly, Shah declared: “Bhagwant Mann ji, the people of Punjab do not want promises, they want answers; not announcements, but results; decisive strikes against drug networks; and an impartial investigation into any political patronage received by criminals.”

‘Handle border, ports first’

Chief minister Bhagwant Mann issued a fiery counter-attack against the home minister, targeting central jurisdiction over border control and maritime security. “Amit Shah ji, you should have consulted your advisers before speaking about me. The 50-km range (from the international border) is with the Border Security Force (BSF). 3,000 kilos of ‘chitta’ (heroin) is being seized from Kandla port in Gujarat. Before blaming Bhagwant Mann, handle your own responsibility. Don’t copy-paste pre-written tweets through your sycophants.”

Joining the issue, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal turned the focus onto drug smuggling pipelines operating through BJP-governed states and maritime infrastructure. “If you care even a tiny bit about Punjab, then stop the drugs coming into the country through Gujarat’s Mundra and Adani ports,” he said. He said that the drug problem grew under previous regimes and argued that a vast majority of illicit substances entering Punjab flow through ports controlled under central oversight.

Faceoff amid Batala killing

The faceoff between the BJP-led Centre and AAP government in Punjab came a day after Bikramjit Singh, 40, was hacked to death and two of his companions were injured for objecting to drug peddling in their neighbourhood at Madi Pannwan village near Sri Hargobindpur in Batala.

Reinforcing the BJP’s attack, party president Nitin Nabin said that the drug crisis has reached an “alarming level”. “What has Punjab come to when leading voices in society fighting against drugs must fear for their lives? The people of Punjab deserve accountability and a government that can keep them safe,” he said.

Shah’s intervention follows the BJP’s 13-day, 4,000-km ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’, which covered all 117 assembly constituencies and culminated in a rally he addressed in Jalandhar. Shah pledged that if the BJP is voted to power, it will eliminate the state’s drug trade by December 31, 2029.