Denied drugs, son of local Congress shoots self

LUDHIANA: Denied access to drugs for the past few days, the 26-year-old son of a local Congress leader shot himself dead with the licensed rifle of his father at Machiwara on Thursday morning.
Jay Singh, the deceased, was hooked to drugs for a long time and his family was trying hard to get rid of the addiction.

Jay took the extreme step a few hours after his mother Manpreet Kaur, who is women wing leader of Congress in Machiwara, left for Anandpur Sahib to take advice of doctors to find some solution to Jay’s drug problem.

His father Jaswinder Singh, an ex-serviceman, worked as a driver.

The family members said to keep Jay away from drugs, he was confined to his house for the past some days.

Police officials said Jay was upset as he did not get drugs. They said while Manpreet Kaur had left for Anandpur Sahib, Jay’s wife and his sister had gone to a religious place to pay obeisance. Only Jay and his father were there at home.

Police said Jay had locked himself inside his room. A little later, Jay pointed the licensed .12 bore weapon of his father to his heart and pulled the trigger. After hearing the shot, Jaswinder broke open the gate and found him in a pool of blood.

Jaswinder then called his neighbours and near ones who took seriously injured Jay to a hospital in Machiwara where doctors declared him brought dead.

Cops from Machiwara police station also reached the spot and started a probe into the matter.

Police later got the body shifted for the post-mortem examination.

Surinder Pal Singh, station house officer (SHO), Machiwara police station, said the family told them that Jay was drug addict and they were trying to get rid of his addiction. He said they have initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of CrPC into the matter.

The SHO said Jay’s wife and his sister had asked him to accompany them but he didn’t go. He said Jay worked as a driver.

Police officials said that deceased had got married about five years ago and had four-year-old daughter.

A relative of the deceased, asking not to be named, said given the fact that drugs are easily available in Machiwara area, they want to ask chief minister Amarinder Singh when will this trade stop in the state.