Youth dies of drug overdose in Sirsa

A 24-year-old youth from Punjab, Gagandeep Singh, a resident of Sardulgarh was found dead near a canal in Rori village of Sirsa district, on Thursday, after he injected himself with drugs. A blood-stained syringe was found beside him, indicating the fatal dose. Two individuals who had been with him at the time fled the scene but were later caught by villagers.

The incident has sparked anger among locals, who allege that lax administration has allowed drugs to infiltrate Sirsa. The villagers said the youths from Punjab and Haryana frequently gathered in rural areas to consume drugs, turning once-quiet villages into hubs of addiction.

On November 12, Khuian Malkana village of Dabwali area recorded another drug-related death. A 28-year-old man, battling addiction for four years, succumbed to an overdose. Desperation had driven him to sell everything he owned, including household items, to fund his habit. His wife left him six months ago with their two children after she was unable to bear the consequences of his addiction. The villagers said that drugs were rampant in the area. Despite repeated pleas for action, the authorities had failed to curtail the supply.

In another blow to the fight against drugs, police apprehended Rani, a Punjab native and wife of a former Sirsa police SPO, for running a heroin trafficking network. She had been active in drug smuggling for over five years, supplying heroin across Sirsa. The Anti-Narcotics Cell arrested her with 8.12 grams of heroin while she was travelling by bus.

These incidents have intensified calls for action. Despite the Sirsa and Dabwali police declaring over 100 villages and wards in Sirsa drug-free, the crisis persists. The villagers demand stricter measures to dismantle drug networks, better rehabilitation facilities, and stronger cross-border coordination to curb the influx of narcotics.