Chandigarh, Oct 20 Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday said his government will hand over the probe into the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Mann made the announcement hours before Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the state and met Jhota’s family.
The chief minister also expressed his solidarity with Jhota’s kin.
“We stand firmly with the father and the family of Parvinder Singh Jhota, who was fighting against drugs. Accepting the demand of the family, we are handing over this case to the CBI. Our fight against drug peddlers is all-out. We will not back down from whatever tough steps we have to take to make Punjab drug-free,” Mann said on X in Punjabi.
The family of Jhota has been demanding a CBI probe into the murder incident.
Known for raising his voice against the illegal sale of addictive substances at chemist shops, Jhota was shot in broad daylight inside a medical store at a busy marketplace in Mansa on October 13.
Ashwani Kumar, the store owner who opened fire at Jhota after he questioned him for selling drugs to an elderly man, was taken into custody from Rajasthan’s Salasar.
The incident, which took place while Jhota was hosting a Facebook Live, triggered a political slugfest in Punjab, which goes to polls early next year.
Reacting to the Mann’s decision, BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu said the Aam Aadmi Party government’s move to hand over the probe to the CBI came only after public outrage.
“In the face of strong opposition from the people, this ‘Hitleri arrogance’ finally had to bow down. For four-and-a-half years, Punjab was kept in the hands of ‘Chitta’ and gangsters, but now, on the occasion of Dussehra, when Home Minister Shri @AmitShah is coming to fulfil the demands of Punjabis and take a pledge to uproot ‘chitta’, then out of fear, the Jhota case has been handed over to the CBI overnight to hide failures,” the former Union minister said.
“This is not justice, but a drama staged by a cowardly and fugitive government. Punjab now demands a full account, not excuses,” Bittu said in a post on X in Punjabi.
Meanwhile, when asked why the government waited for Shah to visit Punjab to hand over the probe to the CBI, Cabinet Minister Aman Arora said the move had nothing to do with the minister’s visit and was taken with Jhota’s family’s sentiments in mind.
“Saying it that it is the impact (of Shah’s visit), it is completely wrong. We stand by our responsibilities earlier, and we stand by them today,” Arora told reporters.
Seven days after Jhota was shot dead, his post-mortem and cremation are yet to take place as his family members and supporters refuse to allow last rites until they get justice.
Since his killing, Jhota’s family and supporters have been staging a protest in Mansa.
A joint action committee comprising various outfits and social activists formed after Jhota’s murder is demanding a CBI probe.
The protesters have demanded the resignations of Mann and Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav, and dismissal of the Mansa senior superintendent of police, deputy superintendent of police, station house officer and the drug inspector.
(PTI News)
