Family alleges teen died as he was forced to take drugs, villagers block highway

Fazilka: Tension gripped a village in Fazilka district after a 16-year-old boy died under suspicious circumstances, with his family alleging that local youths forcibly administered drugs to him.The deceased was found dead in fields near the village on Tuesday morning.A cousin of the deceased alleged that some youths had forcibly taken him with them during the night and compelled him to consume narcotics. "His body was found in the fields the next morning," he said, terming the incident a premeditated murder and demanding registration of a murder case against the accused.The incident triggered outrage in the village, with residents alleging rampant drug abuse and open sale of narcotics in the area.Jaswinder Singh, one of the protesters, claimed that five youths from the village had fallen prey to drugs in the past six months. "Drugs are being sold openly in the village like sugar," he alleged.Villagers claimed that despite repeated deaths linked to drug abuse, police had failed to act against peddlers. Another protester, Malkit Singh, alleged that "chitta" (heroin) was being sold freely in the village and accused the administration of failing to curb the menace despite repeated deaths of youths.Enraged over the incident, villagers and family members staged a sit-in protest on Wednesday afternoon and blocked the road overbridge on the Fazilka-Ferozepur highway near the grain market in Fazilka town. Protesters also placed the body on the road and demanded immediate action against the accused.DSP Satinder Kumar, who reached the spot, said a medical board would be constituted to investigate the case. He said a post-mortem examination would be conducted and further action taken based on the findings.The officer also assured the protesters that strict legal action would be initiated on the basis of statements recorded from the family.