Chandigarh:
A 32-year-old man was found dead with a syringe still lodged in his arm in a vacant field near the Dussehra Ground and a temple in Punjab’s Bathinda on Monday evening. The incident once again brought drug abuse in the state into focus and drew criticism from opposition leaders against the Aam Aadmi Party government.
The body was discovered in the Paras Ram Nagar area. Police and volunteers from the Naujavan Welfare Society reached the scene after receiving information about the incident around 8 pm. The rescue workers checked the man’s pulse but found that he had already died, with his body reportedly cold to the touch.
An injection was found in the man’s right hand, raising suspicions that he may have died from a drug overdose. However, the police have not officially established the cause of death, and it remains unclear what substance, if any, had been injected. A motorcycle was also found parked near the spot where the body was discovered.
Police officers searched the man but did not find an identity card or other documents in his pockets.
Opposition Leaders Blame Punjab Government
The death prompted Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal to launch an attack on Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his government.
“Another son of Punjab lost to drugs, another family destroyed! It was disturbing to see 32-year-old Ramesh found dead with a syringe still in his arm in Bathinda’s Paras Ram Nagar. This is the ugly truth under Guru-Dokhi @BhagwantMann, where drugs are easier to find than jobs. The guilty must be punished immediately. The drug peddlers and mafia thriving under the incompetent CM must be wiped out without delay. While Punjab’s mothers are weeping for their sons, you are busy in self-promotion, plunder and luxury. Your misrule has become a curse for Punjab!” he wrote on X.
Another son of Punjab lost to drugs, another family destroyed! It was disturbing to see 32-year-old Ramesh found dead with a syringe still in his arm in Bathinda’s Paras Ram Nagar. This is the ugly truth under Guru-Dokhi @BhagwantMann, where drugs are easier to find than jobs. The guilty must be punished immediately. The drug peddlers and mafia thriving under the incompetent CM must be wiped out without delay. While Punjab’s mothers are weeping for their sons, you are busy in self-promotion, plunder and luxury. Your misrule has become a curse for Punjab!
— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) October 26, 2026
Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal also reacted to the incident. In a statement, she identified the man as 32-year-old Ramesh, from Paras Ram Nagar, and said he had been found dead with a syringe still lodged in his arm.
32 year old Ramesh from Bathinda’s Paras Ram Nagar has been found dead with a syringe still stuck in his arm! He reflects the TRAGEDY OF PUNJAB under Guru Dokhi @BhagwantMann and his ‘master’ @ArvindKejriwal. Imagine the agony of Ramesh’s mother. Think about the shattered dreams of Ramesh’s wife. A simple Punjabi family destroyed forever. How did we even reach this point? ❌ Because synthetic drug manufacturing and supply is at an all time high ❌ Police-administration-smuggler nexus has become wider and stronger ❌ Punjab’s youth are unemployed ❌ There is no fear of law and order and because ❌ Those in power are themselves operating as ‘dealers’ Remember, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗟𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗦 𝗣𝗨𝗡𝗝𝗔𝗕! How many more lives before @AAPPunjab wakes up? #PunjabDrugMenace #YudhPunjabVirudh #YudhYouthVirudh
— Harsimrat Kaur Badal (@HarsimratBadal_) October 26, 2026
“32-year-old Ramesh from Bathinda’s Paras Ram Nagar has been found dead with a syringe still stuck in his arm!” she said. “Imagine the agony of Ramesh’s mother. Think about the shattered dreams of Ramesh’s wife. A simple Punjabi family destroyed forever.”
“Remember, every such syringe is a dagger that BLEEDS PUNJAB!” she said. “How many more lives before @AAPPunjab wakes up?”
