Sachin Pilot Leads Punjab Congress Protest, Demands Finance Minister Harpal Cheema’s Resignation Over Dalit Suicide

Sachin Pilot, the newly‑appointed AICC in‑charge for Punjab, stepped out onto the streets on Tuesday with a throng of Congress workers. Their destination? The house of Punjab’s Finance Minister, Harpal Cheema. The demand was plain‑spoken: the minister should resign over the alleged role he played in the suicide of Dalit labourer Gulzar Singh.

The march, which started near the party office, quickly ran into a wall of police. Officers deployed water‑cannons, the loud hiss echoing through the crowd. Several protestors, including senior leader Kuljit Nagra, were hit and hurt. The scene was chaotic, but the resolve of the demonstrators didn’t waver.

“We have no personal vendetta against Mr Cheema,” Pilot said, wiping sweat from his brow. “But the law is clear – if a dying man mentions a minister in his last words, an FIR must be filed and a probe launched. That’s what we’re demanding.” He added that Gulzar Singh’s death, he argued, reflected a deeper malaise in the state, contradicting the AAP’s claim that Punjab was drug‑free.

Speaking pointedly about the Aam Aadmi Party, Pilot slammed chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s government for its handling of the drug crisis. “The AAP promised to stamp out drugs within three months. Five years later, we see ‘home delivery’ of narcotics. Even a Dalit deputy chief minister can’t save a man who’s driven to death by this nightmare,” he said, a hint of frustration in his tone.

Senior Congress figures – Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Partap Singh Bajwa, former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and others – flanked Pilot. They echoed his criticism, calling Mann “the most disastrous chief minister” Punjab has seen. The leaders promised their full support as the party gears up for the 2027 Assembly polls.

Amid the noise of water‑cannons and police barricades, Pilot reassured the party workers gathered in large numbers. “I will stand at the front of every fight for justice,” he vowed. “No stone will be left unturned to restore the dignity of every Congress member.”

The protest, captured on multiple phones and shared widely on social media, highlighted the growing tension between the Congress and the ruling AAP. While the police kept the demonstrators from reaching Cheema’s doorstep, the message was loud and clear: accountability is demanded, and the Congress is ready to keep pressing the button.