Family claims government forced cremation of Dalit laborer after suicide over drug-issue harassment
The relatives of Dalit worker Gulzar Singh say officials cremated his body without consent after he died by suicide following alleged caste-based harassment for questioning the drug problem.
Gulzar Singh, a Dalit labourer from Dirba in Punjab’s Sangrur district, died by suicide on Monday after alleging harassment for questioning Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema about the region’s drug problem. His son Lakhwinder Singh told authorities that the government forced a cremation without the family’s consent, denied them the chance to see his father’s face, and withheld his clothes, while also failing to provide a promised job.
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes chair Kishor Makwana met the family, and police have registered an FIR against five villagers—including the local sarpanch and her husband—under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Political leaders from BJP and Congress have called for Cheema’s resignation and an independent investigation, accusing the AAP-linked local leadership of intimidation.
AAP has dismissed the criticism as political exploitation of the family’s grief. The incident underscores tensions over caste discrimination, drug-related governance, and political accountability in Punjab.
Why it matters
It highlights alleged state intimidation, caste bias and political fallout surrounding drug-policy criticism in Punjab.
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