A row erupted over the dead body of a youth found at the Dussehra ground in the Basti Sheikh area of Jalandhar on Jattvibeday.Barbs flew between BJP leader and party’s state SC Morcha president Sheetal Angural and area SHO Sanjeev Kumar after Angural reached the spot and alleged that the youth had died of a drug overdose.Angural accused the police of discarding evidence and moving the body from the spot without due diligence. The SHO, too, engaged in a heated exchange with the leader, claiming that he had followed due process.The Jalandhar police have launched a detailed probe into the matter and asked the public to refrain from speculation until a final report is submitted.The deceased has been identified as Bhushan Kumar, a native of Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh. Bhushan’s parents have been living in Jalandhar for the past five years. He had recently returned from UP.Residents of the area found the body this morning, following which Angural was informed and a police team inspected the spot. While witnesses claimed that syringes and tablets were found near the youth’s body, Angural, who sent a party worker to the spot, alleged that a cop discarded a syringe at a nearby plot. The police have denied the allegation. Later, Angural himself arrived when the police were taking the body for post-mortem, leading to a verbal spat.In a viral video, Angural is heard telling the SHO, “Kise da baccha mar gaya. Tu kiddan karenga khurd-burd evidence. Evidence kiddan khurd-burd kiti? Nasha tere raj ch vik reha. Tusi nasha vikaande ho. Mai tennu changi taran jandan. Mai tere ton nahi darda” (Someone’s son has died. How did you tamper with the evidence? How did you tamper with the evidence? Drugs are being sold under your watch. You sell drugs. I know you very well. I’m not scared of you.)The SHO responded, “I have also seen many like you.” He also said he was not responsible for the youth’s death or the drug trade.Speaking to The Tribune, Sheetal Angural alleged, “The syringe lying near the youth was casually discarded. The police did not carry out due diligence before taking the body to the morgue. The area should have been surveyed and evidence collected. Rather than calling an ambulance, the body was hurriedly taken away in an auto. Why were there syringes by the body? Why was no phone found? The youth’s parents had been trying to contact him for days and did not know that he had come to Jalandhar. There was also an injury on his lips. Foul play seems to be involved in the death as well. A detailed probe must be carried out.”SHO, PS 5, Jalandhar, Sanjeev Kumar, said, “Syringes and tablets were found near the body. But since the room had other garbage and syringes, it is difficult to say whether these belonged to the youth. He was also of a healthy build. We’re getting the dump cleared to see whether a phone or other evidence is found. The cause of death can only be known after a post-mortem examination.”Madhvi Sharma, ADCP City-2, Jalandhar, said, “There is no sufficient evidence to state the cause of death, and it cannot be called an overdose. Our team responded promptly. The room had many syringes; they could have belonged to anyone. The deceased’s body has been shifted to the mortuary of Civil Hospital, Jalandhar, for post-mortem examination. The cause of death will be ascertained after the post-mortem.”