Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Punjab on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, has sent a clear warning to drug smugglers that their days are numbered, Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Kewal Singh Dhillon said, adding that the state would soon be rid of the drug menace. Dhillon made the remarks after accompanying Shah on a round of meetings with families of victims allegedly affected by drug-related violence across the state.

Meetings with Victims' Families

Dhillon said he accompanied the Home Minister to meet the family of Vikramjit Singh in Gurdaspur, the family of Gulzar Singh in Turbanjara, Sangrur, and the family of Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa. According to Dhillon, the families were assured during these visits that justice would be delivered. He described the outreach as a direct signal that the Central government was watching the situation closely.

BJP Targets AAP Government Over Drug Menace

Dhillon launched a sharp attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, alleging it had failed to control drug trafficking and that individuals who spoke out against the drug trade were being killed. He claimed that those raising their voices were being silenced, underscoring what he described as a law-and-order collapse under the current dispensation. The BJP state chief said the party had been flagging this issue long before Shah's visit, having written to the Punjab Governor on 13 October demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe.

CBI Transfer of Jhota Murder Case

Reacting to the state government's decision to hand over the Jhota murder case to the CBI, Dhillon claimed the move was driven by political pressure following Shah's visit rather than a genuine commitment to justice. He alleged that the Punjab government had initially attempted to portray Parvinder Singh Jhota's murder as a matter of personal enmity, rather than a drug-linked killing. Dhillon demanded that the state government publicly apologise to the Jhota family and to the people of Punjab for what he called a deliberate attempt to deflect accountability.

Demand to Transfer All Similar Cases to CBI

Dhillon went further, demanding that all similar cases involving alleged drug-linked killings be transferred to the central agency for impartial investigation. He argued that the families of victims, including those of Jhota, could expect justice only through the intervention of the Home Minister, the Central government, and the CBI. The BJP leader also claimed that the people of Punjab were ready to remove the AAP government, which he accused of having come to power on the basis of unfulfilled promises.

Political Context

This comes amid a sustained BJP campaign in Punjab, where the party has sought to highlight drug trafficking and alleged governance failures under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's AAP administration. Shah's visit and the subsequent CBI transfer of the Jhota case mark a notable escalation in Central attention to Punjab's drug crisis. The coming weeks will test whether the CBI probe produces results that satisfy victims' families — and whether the BJP's political offensive shifts the ground ahead of the next electoral cycle.