CHANDIGARH: The main accused in the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, fondly known as ‘Baba Boxer ’, was arrested in Rajasthan late Tuesday night by the Punjab Police in a joint operation with Rajasthan Police.
Sources said that the main accused, Ashwani Kumar, the owner of the chemist shop, was arrested in Rajasthan late Tuesday night along with the pistol that was used in the crime.
The accused was arrested from a Shri Ganganagar Dharamshala, situated near the Balaji Temple in Salasar, where he was reportedly hiding in disguise.
Following his apprehension, the Punjab Police team took him into custody. Also, two persons have been apprehended so far, including one who allegedly helped Ashwani flee after the shooting.
Meanwhile, the police are awaiting a statement from the family of the deceased Jhota so that a First Information Report (FIR) can be registered in this case.
Jhota was shot dead on Tuesday following a confrontation with a chemist over drugs at his shop in Mansa after confronting the accused, who was running a medical shop, for allegedly selling drugs to an elderly man.
The incident was streamed live on Jhota’s Facebook page, triggering widespread outrage. His killing led to protests in Mansa on Tuesday, with protesters raising slogans against the police and demanding action against those responsible.
The shooting incident left Mansa town simmering with tension as the activist's supporters vandalised the medical shop, and Jhota's family refused to cremate his body in protest. Several activists and politicians also reached the town to join the protest.
An indefinite protest continues in Mansa as the protesters have also formed a committee to seek justice and to hold talks with the authorities. A large number of police personnel have been deployed across the district, with additional forces also being called in.
The murder drew widespread condemnation from political leaders, who criticised the ruling AAP government, alleging a law and order breakdown.
Opposition parties mounted an attack on the Bhagwant Mann government over the murder of the anti-drug activist, alleging "jungle raj". They also claimed that Jhota's killing raised serious questions about the safety of those who raise their voice against the drug menace.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken cognisance of the anti-drug activist's death incident and asked for an action-taken report from the state government regarding the investigation into the incident and action against those behind the incident.
In its letter, NHRC also directed the chief secretary to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of individuals working against drug abuse and to prevent such incidents in the future.
NHRC Chairperson, Priyank Kanoongo, said the murder of an anti-drug activist in Punjab was a serious incident that reflected the extent to which peddlers had become emboldened and appeared unafraid of the law.
He added that the incident was a “blatant example of lawlessness” and said the NHRC had taken cognisance of the matter and issued notices to the Chief Secretary and DGP, seeking reports on the incident.
While Bhim Singh, father of the deceased Jodha, recalled his son’s early years, he said Jodha was initially pursuing studies in the non-medical stream and had secured admission in a college in Bathinda.
However, after a year, he realised that his interests lay elsewhere and told him that he was interested in sports, so he sent him to Jalandhar, and he got admission to a BSc course at Lyallpur Khalsa College.
Jhota earned a reputation as a talented boxer and was known among his friends as ‘Baba Boxer’ and competed at the national level.
Bhim further said Jhota could not travel abroad to participate in an international sporting event for certain reasons.
Instead, a junior boxer was sent to represent the country and went on to win a gold medal.
That player later became a Deputy Superintendent of Police in Haryana.
"I used to tell my son to at least become a constable, and he generally avoided speaking much to him about such matters,’’ Bhim said.
Meanwhile, Jhota’s friends claim that his life took a turn as he started taking drugs, but eventually he overcame that phase and channelled his experiences into a campaign against drug abuse, and they recalled that he was a good cricketer too.