CHANDIGARH: A day after the third round of talks with the AAP led state government ended inconclusively, the father of slain anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota today demanded the transfer of Senior Superintendent of Police of Mansa Vaibhav Chaudhary and refused to attend further meetings in the officer’s presence as the deadlock over his son’s post-mortem and cremation continued.
On the other hand senior farmer leader and Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait met Ex-Serviceman Bhim Singh father of Jhota in Mansa and appealed to him to allow the cremation besides also called for a people’s movement to get Punjab rid of drugs, describing Jhota as the first martyr of the anti-drug campaign.
Despite Tikait's intervention, the ongoing deadlock remains. The Action Committee and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) consisting of IAS officers held multiple rounds of meetings and the committee continues to refuse the postmortem until their core demands are met, which include the resignation of Punjab's Chief Minister and DGP.
In a recorded video Bhim Singh alleged that the family was being treated disrespectfully during meetings with the administration. "The officer at whose behest my son was murdered sits in front of us during these meetings. This hurts us. When the SSP is present at the meeting, my daughter-in-law and I will not attend the meeting with the state government panel," he said and alleged that the police had failed to act promptly when his son was shot dead.
He also questioned the recent suspension of some officials and demanded that copies of the suspension orders be provided to the family and alleged that the action taken so far was inadequate and demanded a thorough inquiry into the role of the officers concerned.
"Let me make it clear why we are demanding the resignation of the CM and the DGP. Jhota was murdered at the behest of the CM, fearing that he would damage their prospects in the upcoming elections," Singh alleged.
During the third round of talks yesterday the government panel handed over a written response detailing the demands it had agreed to fulfil. These included a CBI probe into the murder, which has already begun; a post-mortem examination by a panel of senior PGIMER doctors; security for the family; a statue of Jhota in Mansa; and action against drug stores found violating the norms.
But the family and the action committee refused to allow the post-mortem until their principal demands the resignation of the Chief Minister and the DGP were met.
Meanwhile addressing the protesters, Tikait suggested that colleges and roads be named after Jhota and said, "We are not so weak that we have to lodge a protest by keeping the body. The agitation and campaign will continue. We stand with the committee. The activist’s campaign had made an impact not only in Punjab but also in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh."
Addressing Jhota’s father, Tikait questioned the Central government’s role in tackling the drug menace, referring to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Punjab to seek votes.
"They are in power at the Centre and in several states. Have they been able to eradicate drugs there?” he asked and called for a larger gathering at the protest site and questioned whether the accused would have remained alive had the murder taken place in Uttar Pradesh.
"Jhota died fighting against drugs. We stand with his struggle. Drugs are routed through Gujarat and Nepal, but Punjab is left ruined and branded as a drug-infested state,” he said and questioned how narcotics continued to reach the market despite repeated seizures across the country.
while referring to large consignments seized in Gujarat and asked what happened to the confiscated drugs and why the public was not being informed about their disposal.
He alleged that the drug menace in Punjab was linked to the policies of the Central Government and accused it of contributing to the destruction of the Sikh community and warned that Punjab would be ruined unless the government took strict action.
Tikait also called for stricter monitoring of factories manufacturing capsules and other medicines that could be misused as intoxicants. He said authorities should scrutinise licences, production volumes and supply chains, and shut down factories found involved in illegal activities.
Stating that the drug menace was not confined to Punjab, Tikait said narcotics were also reaching Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. He added that the BKU supported the demands raised by the action committee in the Jhota case and called for strict action against those responsible for the activist’s death.
Tikait also met Mohanjit Singh Sheron, who was allegedly thrashed by the police for showing a black flag during Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s visit to his village in Sangrur district last month.
CBI team inspecting medical stores
A team of CBI sleuths inspected some medical stores in Mansa as for last four days, the agency has visited some medical stores in the town three times.