Congress Protests Against Dalit Labourer's Suicide, Sachin Pilot Detained

Congress leaders Sachin Pilot and Partap Singh Bajwa, along with other party officials, were detained by police on September 15, 2026, during a protest in Punjab. The demonstrators sought the removal of Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema following the alleged suicide of a Dalit man named Gulzar Singh. The protesters aimed to march towards Cheema's official residence and force their way through barricades, but were confronted by water cannons.

Singh, who had died on September 7, had reportedly been harassed and subjected to casteist slurs after questioning Cheema about drug supply in his area during an event in Dirba the previous day. Pilot criticized the AAP government for pressuring Singh into taking his own life, stating that an investigation and an FIR were necessary.

The AAP has failed to fulfill its election promises and has contributed to the drug crisis in Punjab, Pilot claimed. This marked Pilot's first visit to Punjab since assuming his role as general secretary in-charge of the state. The protest united the factioned Punjab Congress, with the state unit chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi participating.

Other prominent opposition members, including Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Punjab Assembly Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, also joined the demonstration. Heavy police presence was present, with barricades erected to prevent Congress leaders and workers from reaching Cheema's residence. Later, several Congress leaders, including Pilot and Bajwa, along with protesters, were arrested.

A video purportedly capturing Singh's final moments surfaced, in which he spoke about questioning Cheema regarding the drug issue, leading opposition parties to demand the resignation of Cheema and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.