Police in Amritsar on Thursday arrested a local sarpanch along with two accomplices in a major narcotics bust, recovering over 4 kilograms of heroin along with weapons.Lovepreet Singh, sarpanch of Kot Hirde Ram, was arrested with 4.3-kg heroin, one 30-bore pistol, four rounds, 30 live cartridges, and one Scorpio vehicle, police said.Following the arrest, both the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Congress claimed that the sarpanch is associated with the Aam Adami Party (AAP) and demanded an independent and comprehensive probe.ASI Palwinder Singh of Mehta police station said that he received information about suspects Lovpreet Singh and Simarpreet Singh from Kot Hirde Ram, and Balwant Singh from Patti Sunh Di Verka. The tip-off noted that the individuals sell drugs, possess illegal weapons, and travel in a Scorpio.The ASI said that the police set up a blockade near OAT Centre, where they stopped the vehicle, recovered drugs, heroin and cartridges, and arrested the three persons.“The sarpanch along with two more accomplices has been caught. Illegal weapons have also been recovered from them. These three were carrying heroin in a Scorpio bearing VIP number,” a police spokesperson said.Photos of the sarpanch with AAP leaders, including a halka in-charge and state- and national-level figures, went viral.Story continues below this adThe Akali Dal alleged that the sarpanch serves as a youth halka in-charge and financer of the AAP.“The development was of serious concern for the state and not an isolated incident. The Narcotics Control Bureau should carry out a detailed investigation to uncover the full extent of the network and its possible links,” Arshdeep Singh Kler, spokesperson and chief of legal cell, SAD, said in a press conference.He also demanded answers on how much heroin had been brought into Punjab and where it had been supplied, who else was involved in the illegal trade, and whether any part of the drug money had reached political leaders.Kler also referred to a Tarn Taran incident where an AAP sarpanch was caught with heroin by a central agency. He said repeated cases point to a pattern. He adds that an SHO of Majitha reports to Lovepreet Singh.Story continues below this adKler accused the AAP of building politics by targeting opponents on drugs and gangsters, while “allowing the drug trade to grow internally”,He referred to past claims by AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal to eliminate gangsters within a short time, and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann blaming previous governments for the drug menace in the state.Kler also cited the Punjab and Haryana High Court observations on the drug situation, saying that the court rebuked the DGP and observed that the government was enabling the drug trade. He adds such remarks were based on evidence and official reports.Kler alleges the government raises drugs in public forums but remains silent on such cases.Story continues below this adThe Congress also demanded an independent and comprehensive probe by some central agency.Reacting to the arrest, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said that earlier also another AAP sarpanch had been arrested from Tarn Taran with heroin.He pointed out, given the immense influence the AAP leaders wield over the police, it will be difficult to conduct and carry out an independent probe. He said, to ensure that the probe is fair and credible also, it must be investigated by some central government agency.The PCC president noted that the Congress has been maintaining consistently that the AAP government had completely failed in curbing the drugs from the state and its ‘Yudh Nasheya Virudh’ (war against drugs) was as bogus as any other scheme of the party.Story continues below this adWarring said the arrest has exploded the claims of the AAP that it had succeeded in curbing the drug menace in the state while the smuggling of drugs was taking place under its nose. The AAP leadership cannot escape the responsibility for promoting and patronising people like Lovepreet, he added.Former Punjab deputy chief minister and MP, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, took a dig at the Mann government, saying that drugs are openly being sold only because the government itself is involved. He added that the government needs to start a campaign “against those selling drugs” rather than just a “war against drugs.”“Instead of ensuring village development and serving the people, the government’s sarpanchs are involved in selling drugs. This is the second AAP sarpanch arrested with drugs in a short span. This is the same AAP government that came to power claiming it would eliminate drugs from Punjab within four weeks. Yet, four years later, even their own sarpanchs and party officials are involved in drug trafficking,” Randhawa said.The former deputy chief minister alleged that during the four-year tenure of the AAP government, drug trafficking has escalated from grams to kilograms. This clearly shows that without the tacit support of CM Mann’s government, such large quantities of drugs could not be sold. The government’s “War Against Drugs” campaigns are deceiving the public and are only aimed at publicity, he said.Story continues below this adSenior Congress leader and Majitha constituency in-charge, Bhagwant Pal Singh Sachar, said the bust exposes AAP’s “true face” amid ongoing media coverage shaming Bikram Singh Majitha for drug issues and predicted more revelations implicating bigger AAP figures.