AMRITSAR: BJP Amritsar district president Salil Kapoor on October 14 accused the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government of pushing Punjab towards a situation similar to the “1984 insurgency”, citing the killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota and alleging a failure of law and order in the state.
Kapoor alleged that the killing of Jhota, who had led a campaign against drugs, reflected the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state. He also referred to the earlier killing of an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) and accused the state government of failing to protect people.
“Look at the situation forming in Punjab. An ASI was murdered earlier when he was returning home after duty. Now, an anti-drug specialist who used to spearhead a campaign has also been shot dead. This is the situation in Punjab. The Govt in Punjab is repeating a 1984-like situation. There was an insurgency in 1984, and now gangsters have taken that form. How will we live like this in Punjab? Bhagwant Mann Govt is pushing Punjab into the sludge of insurgency. CM Bhagwant Mann should resign. He is unable to run the Govt. There is a law-and-order failure. Murders are happening in Punjab every day. Parents are scared of sending their children out of the house. Punjab is in such difficulty now. Bhagwant Mann should resign, you are unable to handle Punjab,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Police, in a joint operation with the Rajasthan Police, arrested the main shooter allegedly involved in Jhota’s murder from Salasar in Rajasthan, officials said.
According to Salasar Station House Officer (SHO) Shankar Lal Bhari, the accused was arrested from Shri Ganganagar Dharamshala near the Salasar Balaji Temple, where he was reportedly hiding in disguise.
Following the arrest, the Punjab Police team took the accused into custody, and further investigation into the case is underway.
Jhota, who was known for his activism against drugs in Mansa, was shot by a medical shop owner and later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.
The incident triggered criticism from opposition parties in Punjab, which accused the state government of failing to curb drug trafficking and maintain law and order.
Earlier, Punjab Police, citing a preliminary investigation, had said the incident was allegedly motivated by “personal enmity”. Police had also said that multiple teams were formed to apprehend the prime suspect and that an associate of the suspect had been arrested.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) also took cognisance of the incident and sought an Action Taken Report from the concerned authorities on the investigation and action against those responsible. It also asked the state Chief Secretary to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of individuals working against drug abuse.
Opposition leaders from the Congress and the BJP have criticised the state government over the killing, alleging a failure to protect those campaigning against drugs.
Parvinder Singh Jhota, a prominent anti-drug activist known for exposing the alleged illegal sale of addictive drugs at local chemist shops, was shot dead on October 13 by a medical shop owner in Punjab’s Mansa district.
Jhota was conducting a live session on Facebook when he confronted the chemist outside his shop over the alleged sale of drugs. In the five-minute video, he was seen accompanied by an elderly man who claimed to have purchased drugs from the shop. The confrontation soon escalated into a heated argument, during which the shop owner was seen holding a pistol.
“Maar mujhe, maar mujhe (kill me, kill me),” he kept telling the owner.
“Why have you kept a pistol,” he asks the owner.
He was also heard telling his associates to call the police and gather more men.
In the video, Jhota can be heard asking the shopkeeper to show the CCTV footage.
The shopkeeper asked the elderly man whether he took ‘drugs’ from him, to which Parvinder Jhota responds, “Yes, we have the recording”.
The argument continued for around four minutes before the shopkeeper opened fire, killing Jhota.
Jhota’s mobile phone then fell to the ground, ending the live recording. The owner of the shop is on the run.
The killing of Anti-drug activist Parminder Singh Jhota in Mansa in Punjab has ignited a political firestorm with opposition leaders on October 13 tearing into the Bhagwant Mann-led government alleging a failure of law and order and questioning the effectiveness of the state’s campaign against drugs.
BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu criticised the state government over the incident, alleging a breakdown of law and order in Punjab.
“Punjab is in the grip of fear and lawlessness. Police personnel are being murdered, citizens like Parwinder Jhota are targeted, and gangsters roam fearlessly,” Bittu said in a post on X.
Questioning Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s handling of the Home portfolio, Bittu added, “With Bhagwant Mann holding the Home portfolio, who will protect Punjab when the government has failed to protect its own people?”
“The murder that took place in Mansa is highly condemnable, and information is coming in that this murder was committed by a person running a chemist shop No person in Punjab is permitted to take the law into their own hands, strict action will be taken against the guilty,” he said.
Former Punjab Congress president Raja Warring, in a post on X, alleged that Jhota’s killing reflected the failure of the state government’s law and order machinery and its campaign against drugs.
“The daylight murder of Parminder Singh Jhota is a direct result of the failed law & order and failed ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ of the @BhagwantMann govt,” Warring said.
He further alleged that Jhota’s efforts against drugs had not received support from the state government. Expressing condolences to the bereaved family, Warring said, “My heart goes out to bereaved family and supporters.”
Warring added that he had briefly met Jhota’s father and family when the activist was allegedly falsely accused and arrested in 2023.
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia alleged that Jhota was shot while recording drug dealers on camera.
“Parvinder Jhotta, who was fighting against the drug menace in Mansa, was shot at and subsequently died,” Majithia said.
Sukhbir Badal, President of the Shiromani Akali DaI slammed the state government accusing them of criminal negligence.
“I am profoundly shocked to learn about the merciless killing of Parvinder Singh Jhota by a drug trafficker. In this moment of profound sorrow, I stand with his bereaved family. This heinous murder is a stark reminder that law and order has ceased to exist in Punjab. The deceased had been continuously raising his voice against the drug menace but no one took heed and no one supported him. The much-hyped Yudh Nashian Virudh is nothing but a gimmick and has completely failed. Recent events have exposed how the Guru-Dokhi Bhagwant Mann led AAP dispensation is completely engrossed in looting Punjab and draining the state’s resources to enrich itself. They have zero attention towards the fast deteriorating situation in the state, and it is because of this criminal negligence that Punjabis are suffering every single day. This jungle raj must end,” he said.
The father of anti-drug activist Parminder Singh Jhota has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Home Minister to ensure the security of his grandchildren, alleging that the Punjab government failed to provide protection to his son.
Speaking amid protests following Jhota’s killing, his father said that the family had not received protection from the state government and that his grandchildren were now also facing a threat.
“The Punjab government did not provide him with any security. Nobody protected us. Now, even my grandchildren are at risk. I appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Home Minister to make arrangements for my grandchildren’s security,” he said.
Vowing to continue the fight against drugs, Jhota’s father said that he would keep raising his voice against the drug menace for as long as he lived.
“We will continue fighting this war against drugs. As long as I am alive, I will also continue fighting against drugs in Punjab,” he said.
He also raised slogans against the Punjab government and alleged that it supported drug smugglers. Calling for a large-scale protest in Mansa, he appealed to the people of Punjab to unite against the drug menace.
“We will have to hold a massive protest in Mansa. Otherwise, Punjab’s children will remain under stress. I am not afraid of dying; I am also ready to take a bullet,” he said.
Jhota, who was known for his activism against drugs in Mansa, was shot by a medical shop owner. He was taken to a hospital after sustaining bullet injuries and later succumbed to them.
Parvinder Singh Jhota was a Mansa-based anti-drug activist in Punjab, known for confronting suspected drug peddlers and exposing the alleged illegal sale of addictive pharmaceutical drugs through chemist shops. A former freestyle kabaddi player, he later devoted himself to campaigning against drug abuse in the region.
Jhota formed an Anti-Drug Task Force and launched the campaign ‘Nasha Roko, Rozgar Do’ (Stop Drugs, Provide Employment), which reportedly inspired similar initiatives in villages across the Mansa and Bathinda areas. He frequently used Facebook Live to document confrontations with suspected drug sellers and highlight the drug menace.
In 2023, he first came into light after an incident involving a chemist shop owner whom he and his supporters allegedly confronted.
