Drug Peddling Allegations Disputed After Youth Killed in Punjab Village Clash

Allegations that drug users and peddlers attacked three people in Punjab's Gurdaspur district, leaving one dead and two seriously injured, have been contradicted by the victim's brother, who said the clash stemmed from a dispute over a mobile phone. Police have registered a case against 15 people and said the allegations of drug peddling are being investigated.

The incident took place around 8.30 pm on Thursday in Mari Pannwan village, falling under the Sri Hargobindpur Sahib Assembly constituency. The victim has been identified as Bikramjit Singh, while Gurmukh Singh and Nishan Singh sustained serious injuries.

According to injured Gurmukh Singh, the confrontation began when some youths allegedly riding motorcycles and creating a disturbance in the village were confronted by locals. He alleged that a group of 10 to 15 people attacked the three men with sharp-edged weapons. Gurmukh Singh also claimed that the assailants were involved in drug consumption and peddling.

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However, Bikramjit Singh's brother, Ranjit Singh, gave a different account of the incident. He said the dispute was over a mobile phone belonging to a youth named Jagroop Singh. According to him, the phone was allegedly with another youth, Prince, and an argument broke out when Bikramjit Singh asked him to return it. Bikramjit Singh, he said, had intervened in the altercation before being attacked.

Ranjit Singh specifically denied that the incident was related to drugs, contradicting the allegations made by the injured man's family.

Meanwhile, Gurmukh Singh's father, Paramjit Singh, alleged that three to four local youths involved in drug peddling had called additional people from outside the village. He linked the violence to an earlier dispute over a stolen mobile phone, claiming that a police complaint had been filed on the 15th and that the family had subsequently received threats.

The differing accounts have raised questions over the circumstances that led to the fatal clash, with the drug-peddling allegations yet to be established.

DSP Manoj Kumar of Sri Hargobindpur police station said a case had been registered against 15 people. Asked about the allegations of drug peddling, he said the matter was under investigation.

Police have not yet established a definitive motive for the attack. The allegations made by the injured man's family, the denial by the victim's brother and the claims surrounding the earlier mobile phone dispute will be examined as part of the investigation.