In the last two weeks, Punjab has recorded at least 14 drug overdose deaths, highlighting the state’s ongoing efforts to address the issue, often linked with trafficking from Pakistan.
Nine of these fatalities happened in the last week alone, according to information that The Tribune’s reporters in different sections of the state collected. Statements from local police and family members provide most of the data. Gurdaspur recorded three deaths; Muktsar, Faridkot, and Ludhiana each reported one, and Abohar, Moga, Amritsar, and Ferozepur each reported two.
The June 2018 Punjab drug overdose disaster in Punjab, where 23 young people died, some with syringes still in their arms, serves as an example of the current surge in fatalities.
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The police filed cases against suspected drug sellers in nearly fifty percent of the recent fatalities. Official records require viscera exams to confirm that the deaths are due to drug overdoses. Authorities believe the victims may have taken illegal medicines or huge amounts of heroin.
Today, three overdose fatalities occurred in Gurdaspur’s Deeda Sansian village. The victims, middle-aged men who used injections, were involved. SHO Karishma of Dinanagar stated that they had filed an FIR under IPC Section 304 and other provisions of the NDPS Act against 17 people.
Harsimrat kaur Badal ( Member of the Lok Sabha)
