In a heartbreaking case that has once again laid bare the depth of Punjab's drug epidemic, a farm labourer from the state recounts the agonising months leading up to his 26-year-old son Gulzar Singh's death — and the final confrontation that left him broken.
According to family accounts, Gulzar Singh had been struggling with drug addiction for several years. Despite repeated attempts by his family to get him into rehabilitation, the young man kept relapsing, dragging the already struggling household further into financial and emotional distress. His father, a daily wage farm labourer, reportedly spent whatever little he earned trying to secure treatment for his son, often borrowing money from relatives and locals.
The breaking point came when the father, unable to bear the sight of his son's deteriorating health and the family's spiralling condition, decided to take his grievance directly to Punjab State Minister Cheema. The encounter, described by family members as intense and emotionally charged, saw the labourer plead with the minister for help in tackling the addiction that had consumed his child. Whether the meeting yielded any tangible outcome remains unclear, but for the father, it was an act of last resort.
Gulzar Singh later died, according to reports, still battling the grip of substance abuse. His death has left his family devastated and has become yet another painful chapter in Punjab's long-running narrative of drug-related tragedy.
Punjab has grappled with one of India's worst drug crises for decades. The state sits close to the Golden Triangle heroin route, and generations of young people have been caught in the cycle of addiction, crime, and loss. Over the years, thousands of Punjab residents have died from drug overdoses or violence linked to the narcotics trade. The state government has launched multiple anti-drug campaigns and rehabilitation drives, but activists and families argue that the scale of the problem continues to outstrip official efforts.
Gulzar Singh's father says his son was a bright young man before drugs took hold — someone who dreamed of a stable life but could not escape the pull of addiction. "He was not a criminal. He was a victim," the father told reporters, his voice trembling.
The case has reignited calls for stronger mental health support, affordable rehabilitation centres, and stricter enforcement against drug peddlers operating in the state. For now, the family mourns a son lost too soon and a father left to pick up the pieces.
