AMRITSAR: Heavy police deployment was witnessed in Amritsar on Thursday as several farmers' and workers' organisations called for a statewide Punjab bandh over the killing of anti-drug activist Parminder Singh Jhota in Mansa district.
Police said they had made adequate security arrangements to maintain law and order and ensure normal activities were not disrupted.
Speaking to ANI, Deputy Commissioner of Police (City) Jaskaran Singh Teja said police had deployed sufficient personnel and the situation remained peaceful. He added that no one would be allowed to take the law into their own hands or force shopkeepers and business owners to participate in the shutdown.
"We have deployed sufficient force. Things are going on peacefully. We will not let anyone take the law into their own hands. If someone closes their shop voluntarily, they can do so. No one will be forced to participate," Teja said.
He clarified that businesses could decide independently whether to remain open or shut during the bandh, adding that the police were prepared to deal with any situation.
Meanwhile, locals blocked the Bathinda-Mansa road near Bhaini Bagha village as part of the statewide protest.
A leader of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) said several farmers' and workers' organisations, including the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee Punjab, had jointly called for the bandh. The leader claimed that traffic movement had reduced significantly and most shops and businesses remained closed in several areas.
The KMM leader also announced further protests against the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government, accusing it of failing to curb drug-related activities in the state.
The leader said protesters planned to burn symbolic representations of the state government's failures and conduct dope tests at various locations to challenge its claims of following a zero-tolerance policy against drugs.
Questioning the government's anti-drug measures, the leader alleged that drug sales had increased under the present administration and accused the authorities of failing to protect people from drug-related violence.
The KMM leader also rejected the suggestion that Jhota's killing was the result of personal enmity, alleging instead that the activist had been targeted by the drug mafia because of his work on public issues.
The leader demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Punjab Director General of Police (DGP), citing concerns over the state's law-and-order situation.
"We say the honourable Chief Minister should resign. The DGP should also resign because the law-and-order situation is not good," the leader said.
Despite the shutdown, the protesting organisations appealed to the public to ensure that emergency services continued uninterrupted. They urged demonstrators to allow patients, wedding processions and passengers facing emergencies to pass without obstruction.
The leader emphasised that ambulances and other emergency services should remain operational throughout the bandh.
The statewide protest follows the killing of Jhota, an anti-drug activist from Mansa district who was allegedly shot by a medical shop owner on Tuesday. Jhota was taken to a hospital with bullet injuries but later succumbed to them.
His father, Bhim Singh, criticised the state administration for allegedly failing to prevent the attack and demanded accountability from the Chief Minister and the DGP. He also called for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Bhim Singh appealed to the people of Punjab to participate in the bandh, scheduled for October 15, and urged the government to take responsibility for the incident.
Earlier, Punjab Police, in a joint operation with Rajasthan Police, arrested the alleged main shooter from Salasar in Rajasthan on Wednesday, officials said.
According to Salasar Station House Officer Shankar Lal Bhari, the accused was apprehended at Shri Ganganagar Dharamshala near the Salasar Balaji Temple, where he was reportedly hiding in disguise.
The Punjab Police team subsequently took the accused into custody. Further investigation is underway.
(With inputs from ANI)