CHANDIGARH: Hours before Union Home Minister Amit Shah's planned Punjab visit on Tuesday, the AAP-led state government announced that it would hand over the investigation into the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The announcement comes amid mounting public anger over the killing and ahead of Shah’s visit to Mansa, Sangrur and Gurdaspur to meet the deceased's family.
The murder has triggered protests across the state, with demonstrators demanding strict action against those responsible and an end to the alleged nexus between drug traffickers, politicians and the police. A statewide bandh was observed on October 15 over the issue.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced the decision in a post on X, saying the government stands firmly with Jhota’s family in their fight against drugs. He said the case is being handed over to the CBI in response to the family’s demand.
“We stand with the family of Parvinder Singh Jhota, who was fighting against drugs. Accepting the family’s demand, this case is being handed over to the CBI,” Mann said, reiterating the government’s commitment to taking strict action against drug traffickers and making Punjab drug-free.
A CBI investigation was among the key demands raised by Jhota’s family, and the action committee formed to seek justice for the slain activist.
Jhota’s father, Bhim Singh, an ex-serviceman, had been demanding that the investigation be transferred to the CBI. He had said that if the state government did not accept his demand, he would raise the issue with Shah during his visit and urge the Union Home Minister to order a CBI probe.
The action committee, formed after Jhota’s killing in Mansa on October 13, had also sought accountability from the state government and police over the incident.
Jhota was shot dead at a chemist shop in Mansa on October 13. He had allegedly confronted the accused shopkeeper, Ashwani Kumar, over the sale of drugs. The incident was streamed live on Facebook. Four of Jhota’s associates were injured in the shooting.
His body remains at the Civil Hospital in Mansa, as the family has yet to consent to a post-mortem examination.