The Union Home Ministry announced on Friday that it would formally request an explanation from the Punjab government regarding two separate incidents: the death by poison of a father in Dirba, reportedly carried out under duress, and the daytime killing of anti-drug campaigner Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, writing on X, described Punjab as contending with what he characterised as an expanding presence of drug use, gang activity, and organised criminal networks. Shah's post directed a question at Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over who ultimately holds accountability for the welfare of Punjab's residents, while also referencing the two incidents — a father in Dirba who took poison under duress, and the killing of Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa in broad daylight, a man who had previously spoken out against drug use.

Jhota's father has put forward a set of accusations directed at the Aam Aadmi Party administration and one of its elected local representatives. Formal responses from the Punjab government on both matters are to be sought by the Home Ministry.

The owner of a medical shop in Mansa fatally shot anti-drug advocate Jhota on Tuesday, firing at him in a busy marketplace. Ashwani Kumar, who operates the store, faced arrest after discharging a firearm at Jhota during a police inquiry into allegations that Jhota had supplied habit-forming substances to an older customer.

The first case Shah referenced concerned Gulzar Singh, a resident of Dirba in Sangrur district, who took his own life on September 7. Gulzar's relatives have stated that he ingested a toxic substance following a period in which he faced caste-based abuse and intimidation — circumstances they link to his act of questioning Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema over drug availability in his neighbourhood.

Ahead of assembly elections scheduled in Punjab early next year, multiple parties — the BJP among them — have been drawing attention to narcotics as a campaign-period concern.

In his X post, Shah described Punjab as a state where narcotics trafficking continues to expand, organised criminal networks pose a mounting threat, and those who speak out against drug activity face questions about their personal safety. He directed his remarks at Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, stating that residents of the state are seeking concrete outcomes rather than media attention, accountability rather than pledges, action against drug networks rather than announcements, and an impartial inquiry into any political connections that may have benefited those engaged in criminal activity.

Shah also renewed a vow to residents of Punjab that, upon taking office, an administration he leads would channel its full efforts toward eliminating drugs, dismantling criminal gangs, and establishing a safer province. The home minister outlined four priorities: targeting the narcotics trade, safeguarding the wellbeing of younger generations, holding those who break the law accountable, and upholding a legal order under which no resident lives in a state of fear.

In response to Shah's social media post, Mann drew attention to a narcotics seizure at a Gujarat port and urged the home minister to focus on his own ministerial responsibilities. In a Punjabi-language post on X, Mann stated that Shah ought to have taken counsel from his advisors before making any comments about him.

Authorities at Kandla port in Gujarat intercepted a consignment of synthetic drugs — locally referred to as "chitta" — weighing 3,000 kilograms, an operation that falls within the 50-kilometre operational range assigned to the Border Security Force. Mann's post suggested that those directing blame at him examine the responsibilities that fall under their own watch before casting judgment elsewhere.

A month earlier, speaking at a Jalandhar rally that marked the close of the BJP's "Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra," Shah stated that the AAP-led state government had permitted open trading in chitta, and put forward a pledge that a BJP administration in Punjab would eliminate drug use by December 2029. On 30 September, Shah visited families in Jalandhar dealing with the impact of drug-related problems. Shah had also previously stated that individuals found participating in the narcotics trade would face imprisonment, and that a change in government away from the AAP administration would, within a two-year period, allow authorities to bring the drug problem under control.