CHANDIGARH: A day after acting Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj described slain anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota as a martyr, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami met his father, Bhim Singh, on Saturday and announced that the SGPC would install Jhota’s photograph at the Central Sikh Museum in the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar.
He also offered to provide fixed deposits of Rs 10 lakh each in the names of Jhota’s two sons, aged nine and six, subject to the family’s consent.
Dhami announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each for the four persons injured along with Jhota in the attack. Of this amount, Rs 2.5 lakh each would be provided towards their treatment expenses and Rs 2.5 lakh each as financial assistance.
The state government has already announced free treatment for the injured and free accommodation for their families at the hospitals. Dhami also asked Jhota’s father whether he or the families of the injured wanted to shift them to an SGPC-run hospital for treatment.
However, Bhim Singh declined the offer of fixed deposits for Jhota’s two sons, saying he had sought financial assistance only for the injured. He said the family had sufficient means to sustain itself with the grace of God. Dhami also offered to take care of the upbringing of both children, but the family informed him that representatives of Baru Sahib had already announced that they would bear the educational expenses of Jhota’s sons.
Expressing solidarity with the family, Dhami said the SGPC would stand by it in fulfilling Jhota’s mission to eradicate drugs from society.
Bhim is an ex-serviceman and a pensioner, while Jhota’s wife is a teacher. The family also runs a dairy and owns urban property and agricultural land, which Jhota had spoken about in his interviews.
Four days after the killing, the post-mortem examination of Jhota’s body is yet to be conducted, as his family and supporters continue to demand justice. His body remains at the mortuary of the civil hospital, where a parallel protest is under way to ensure that the police or administration does not perform the cremation forcibly.
The main protest is being held at Tinkoni, near the Deputy Commissioner’s residence on the Barnala-Sirsa road in Mansa. Meanwhile, the district administration has cancelled the arms licence of Ashwani Kumar, a chemist who is the main accused in the murder case.
The action committee seeking justice remains firm on its demands, including the resignation of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and DGP Gaurav Yadav, and a CBI probe into the murder. It has also demanded the dismissal of the district drug inspector, SSP, DSP and the SHO concerned. So far, Inspector Beant Kaur, SHO of the City-2 police station, has been suspended.
The committee has demanded that responsibility be fixed and FIRs registered against officials found accountable. It has also sought compensation from the state government for the four persons injured in the firing incident on Tuesday and demanded that a panel of doctors from PGIMER, Chandigarh, conduct the post-mortem examination.
Jhota was allegedly shot dead by a chemist at his shop in Mansa on Tuesday following a drug-related dispute. The incident was captured during a Facebook Live session. Four others, including a passerby, were injured in the incident.
Meanwhile, Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon visited the ongoing protest in Mansa and reiterated the demand for a CBI investigation. He appealed to the people of Punjab to wear black turbans to register their protest against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. During the visit, he also met Parvinder Singh’s parents, Bhim Singh and his wife, and expressed his condolences.
Addressing the gathering, Dhillon said Jhota, who had raised his voice against drugs, was a warrior who fought to protect Punjab’s youth from addiction. He said Jhota had waged a determined battle to save the younger generation from drugs and that his sacrifice would always be remembered.
Dhillon appealed to the people of Punjab to protest against the AAP government by wearing black turbans and black dupattas and carrying black flags until justice was delivered in the Jhota murder case. The appeal was welcomed by Singh’s father and those participating in the protest, amid loud slogans.
Dhillon alleged that the AAP government had failed Punjab in tackling the drug menace. He said the party had promised to eradicate drugs within three months of coming to power, yet the drug trade continued to flourish across the state. Instead of curbing the menace, he alleged, those raising their voices against drugs were being silenced.
He said the issue extended beyond the Jhota case. Referring to Gulzar Singh of Toor Vanjara, he alleged that Singh had been driven to suicide after speaking out against drugs. He also cited the murders of singer Sidhu Moosewala and kabaddi player Sandeep Nangal Ambian, claiming that their families were still awaiting justice.
Dhillon said he had little hope that the Punjab government would deliver justice in the Jhota case. He added that he had written to the Punjab Governor on the very first day, demanding a CBI probe.
