SHEREWAL (LUDHIANA): A Punjab mother who claims to have lost all six of her sons to the region’s relentless drug epidemic is pleading for govt intervention after her last surviving child was found dead on a canal bank.The discovery of 20-year-old Jasvir Singh’s body in Sidhwan Bet has cast a spotlight on the devastating multi-generational toll of “chitta” – a potent synthetic heroin – which the family says has systematically wiped out every male heir in their household.Shinder Kaur, the matriarch of the grieving Sherewal family, sat in her modest home this week recounting a decade of unimaginable loss. Her husband, Mukhtyar Singh, died in a drink-driving accident in 2012.
In the 13 years since, Shinder Kaur says she has cremated all six of her sons: Kulwant Singh (34) 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 (20), found dead now in Jan 2026.
“Chitta has not stopped,” Shinder Kaur said through tears. “Those selling drugs are caught but released later. We want the drugs to stop so other families are saved from this pain.” Jasvir Singh, a local labourer, left home on Jan 14 to volunteer at a village gurdwara. His body was later discovered by a canal path after a relative spotted him and alerted the family. A witness who was reportedly with Jasvir at the time was detained at the Gidderwindi police post. According to Shinder Kaur, the individual admitted to the family that they had both injected drugs, but he fled the scene in a panic after Jasvir collapsed and died.
The family’s younger generation is also feeling the weight of the tragedy. “We lost our family because of drugs,” said Usha, the 22-year-old daughter of the late Raju Singh. “It is painful, but we want others to be saved.”Police cautiousWhile the local community has staged protests demanding action against drug suppliers, authorities remain cautious about the cause of death. Gidderwindi police post in-charge, Rajwarinderpal Singh, confirmed that a case of culpable homicide had been registered against two individuals, including a woman alleged to have supplied the narcotics.
