Chandigarh, Oct. 20 -- Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday met the family of a 40-year-old man in Punjab's Gurdaspur who died in an incident allegedly linked to the drug menace.

Shah arrived in Punjab as part of his day-long visit to Gurdaspur, Sangrur and Mansa to meet the family members of those who died in incidents linked to the state's drug scourge.

After his chopper landed in Batala, Shah went straight to Mari Panwan village, where he met the family of Bikramjit Singh, who was killed on October 15.

Villagers have claimed that Bikramjit was targeted for opposing drug peddling in his area, but police said the murder was the fallout of a scuffle between two groups over a mobile phone.

One of Bikramjit's family members said Shah assured them that justice would be ensured in the matter.

"We sought justice in the matter. He read our memorandum of demands and took it along. He listened to us patiently," said the family member.

Gurnam Singh, whose nephew Bikramjit was killed, said Shah assured them that the family would be given justice.

Former Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma said the Union home minister assured the family that they would get justice while reiterating that the drug menace would be wiped out by December 2029.

Sharma said the family member told Shah they had no hope from the AAP government for a fair investigation and justice.

In Batala, Shah was also accompanied by Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon.

Ahead of Shah's Punjab visit, tight security arrangements had been made in three districts.

Shah had said on Sunday that he would meet the family members of those who recently lost their lives for raising their voices against the drug menace in Mansa, Sangrur and Gurdaspur districts.

After meeting the family of Bikramjit Singh, Shah is scheduled to visit Sangrur, where he will be meeting the family of Gulzar Singh, a Dalit man, who committed suicide last month.

Gulzar, of Turbanjara village, died by suicide on September 7. His family alleged that he consumed poison after being harassed and subjected to casteist slurs for questioning Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema about the supply of drugs in his locality.

Later, Shah will visit Mansa, where he will meet the family of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, who was killed last week by a medical store owner.

Jhota's father, Bhim Singh, said on Monday that he would raise a demand for a CBI probe into his son's murder when he meets Shah.

Known for raising his voice against the illegal sale of addictive substances at chemist shops, Jhota was shot in broad daylight inside a medical store at a busy marketplace in Mansa on October 13.

Ashwani Kumar, the store owner who opened fire on Jhota after he questioned him for selling addictive drugs to an elderly man, was taken into custody from Rajasthan's Salasar.

The incident, which took place while Jhota was hosting a Facebook Live, triggered a political slugfest in Punjab, which goes to polls early next year.

Hours before Shah's visit, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said his government has decided to hand over the Jhota murder case to the CBI.

It is Shah's second visit to poll-bound Punjab in 20 days. He visited Jalandhar on September 30 and addressed a rally marking the culmination of the BJP's 'Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra'.

Shah will also attend the "Ravan Dahan" ceremony at the Daresi grounds in Ludhiana on the occasion of Dussehra celebrations.

Opposition parties, including the BJP, have been targeting the AAP government while highlighting the drug issue in Punjab, where Assembly elections are due early next year.

Ahead of Shah's visit, Punjab's ruling party AAP slammed the Union home minister, with state unit president Aman Arora asking Shah to provide answers to drug smuggling into Punjab from Pakistan and narcotics supply from a Gujarat port instead of indulging in political rhetoric.

Finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema also demanded answers from the party-led Centre on the issues of gangsterism, drug trafficking and extortion.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.