Text Size: A- A+

Harman Sidhu and four others were arrested in Sirsa, Haryana, for possessing 52.1 grams of heroin, worth around Rs 5.20 lakh.

New Delhi: Harman Sidhu, a Punjabi singer who once wrote a song warning people against ‘chitta’ (heroin), has been arrested for the possession of the same drug.

Sidhu and four others were arrested by the Crime Investigation Agency in Sirsa, Haryana.

“A total of 52.1 grams of heroin, which is worth around Rs 5.20 lakh, was found when the police investigated the Honda City in which the five were travelling,” said Dhale Ram, the inspector in charge of the CIA, according to The Times of India.

Sidhu, who hails from the Mansa district of Punjab, was accompanied by Ramnik Singh, a patwari (revenue officer) in Mansa, as well as Surjit Singh, Manoj Kumar and Anurag, all from. A case has been filed against them under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

Sidhu is accused of supplying the drug in Mansa, while the police confirmed that all five are heroin addicts. “They were coming from Delhi after getting their supply from Delhi. Some of them consumed drugs while Harman used to sell the drug in Mansa,” a CIA official told a local news outlet.

Also read: Punjab cabinet recommends death penalty to tackle drug menace in state

The song

His 2015 song ‘Chitta’, which was popular in Punjab, spoke about the ill-effects of the drug on the youth of the state, and blamed it for destroying the culture of Punjab.

Sidhu’s song went against the grain of Punjabi music, which is infamous for glorifying alcohol, guns and objectifying women. The Punjab Police has had to resort to warning singers against promoting a liquor and gun culture.

Punjab’s ‘chitta’ problem

Punjab has been in the grips of a drug problem for years now. According to a 2015 study conducted by the union ministry of social justice and empowerment, ‘chitta’ (heroin adulterated with other white powders) was the most common drug, consumed by 53 per cent of the drug addicts surveyed.

Easy availability of drugs, unemployment and a nexus between drug smugglers and law enforcement agencies have been cited as reasons for the persistent problem.

Ahead of the 2017 elections, Congress leader Captain Amarinder Singh had promised to remove the evil from Punjab within four weeks, taking an oath with his hand on the Gutka Sahib (a holy book in Sikhism). However, a year and a half into his term as chief minister, the number of deaths due to ‘chitta’ consumption have witnessed a surge.

Also read: Hit by drugs epidemic, Punjab will go black this week to protest against ‘white menace’

Subscribe to our channels on YouTube & Telegram

Why news media is in crisis & How you can fix it You are reading this because you value good, intelligent and objective journalism. We thank you for your time and your trust. You also know that the news media is facing an unprecedented crisis. It is likely that you are also hearing of the brutal layoffs and pay-cuts hitting the industry. There are many reasons why the media’s economics is broken. But a big one is that good people are not yet paying enough for good journalism. We have a newsroom filled with talented young reporters. We also have the country’s most robust editing and fact-checking team, finest news photographers and video professionals. We are building India’s most ambitious and energetic news platform. And have just turned three. At ThePrint, we invest in quality journalists. We pay them fairly. As you may have noticed, we do not flinch from spending whatever it takes to make sure our reporters reach where the story is. This comes with a sizable cost. For us to continue bringing quality journalism, we need readers like you to pay for it. If you think we deserve your support, do join us in this endeavour to strengthen fair, free, courageous and questioning journalism. Please click on the link below. Your support will define ThePrint’s future. Support Our Journalism

Show Full Article