Supplier still out: Mother’s final grief as drugs claim sixth son in Ludhiana village.

Ludhiana: Shinder Kaur has cremated her husband and all six of her sons. Now, the grieving matriarch is locked in a desperate standoff with local police, demanding the arrest of a female supplier she holds responsible for the death of her last surviving child.The body of Jasvir Singh, Shinder Kaur's youngest son, was discovered on Jan 14 on a canal path in the Sidhwan Bet area. While police have arrested one man, Harpreet Singh, for culpable homicide, the family alleges the primary supplier — identified as Kulwinder Kaur of Malsihan — remains at large despite a three-day ultimatum given to authorities.A household hollowed by addictionThe family's story is a harrowing map of the drug crisis gripping rural Punjab. Shinder Kaur's husband died in a 2012 alcohol-related accident; in the 14 years since, she has lost every one of her six sons to what the family describes as a relentless cycle of substance abuse. "I have not seen happiness since 2012," she said. "My sons died one by one. The drugs must stop so that other precious lives are saved."The family has chosen to speak openly about the cause of death — a rare move in a region where the stigma of addiction often leads to silence. "It is better to acknowledge the reality and look for a solution," said Usha, the deceased's 22-year-old niece.Procedural delays and police skepticismDespite the family's testimony, investigators maintain a more cautious stance. Rajwarinderpal Singh, officer in charge of the Gidderwindi police post, confirmed that while one suspect is in judicial custody, the female accused has evaded capture. "We have not yet received the post-mortem or viscera reports to confirm the official cause of death," Singh said. He also noted that no synthetic drugs or syringes were recovered at the scene where Jasvir's body was found, leading to local police questioning the family's broader claim that all six brothers died from narcotics.Beyond justice, the family is also pleading for financial intervention. With the breadwinners gone, Shinder Kaur survives on a monthly pension of Rs 1,500, an amount the family says is insufficient to maintain even a basic household.According to family records, the loss of the six brothers spanned over a decade. Kulwant Singh (34) died in 2013, Gurdeep Singh in March 2021, Jaswant Singh in July 2021, Raju Singh in Nov 2022, Baljeet Singh in March 2023, and Jasvir Singh in Jan 2026.A race against the ‘Bhog'The family's frustration peaked this week ahead of the Bhog — the final memorial rites — scheduled for Friday. In Sikh tradition, this ceremony often marks the end of formal mourning, and the family fears that once the prayers are over, the police will quietly close the file. "The DSP came to our house and we gave them three days," said Kulwinder Kaur, a cousin of the deceased. "The ceremony is Friday and she is still free. We wonder what the police are actually doing."