CHANDIGARH, October 15, 2026 – Tensions ran high across Punjab as the brutal murder of prominent anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa sparked massive public outrage. Following the daylight killing on Tuesday, police swiftly arrested the prime accused, medical store owner Ashwani Kumar, from Salasar in Rajasthan on Wednesday. However, the arrest did little to quell the immediate anger, as mobs set the accused’s shop ablaze while local authorities initiated bulldozer action against his residence.
Jhota, a former boxer and cricketer known for his vocal campaign against drug abuse and the illegal sale of addictive substances at local chemist shops, was shot dead in a busy Mansa marketplace while hosting a Facebook Live session. He had reportedly confronted Kumar over selling addictive drugs to an elderly man just moments before the fatal shooting.
The incident triggered dramatic scenes in Mansa’s Veer Nagar area. An angry mob, including some ‘Nihangs’, descended upon Kumar’s medical store—located about 700 meters from his house. Amid heavy police presence, the crowd vandalized the shop with swords, sticks, and stones, dragging furniture onto the road before setting the entire structure on fire. Concurrently, authorities deployed an excavator to demolish the front portion of the accused’s house, citing unauthorized construction.
Refusing to cremate the body until justice is served, Jhota’s father, Bhim Singh, has called for a statewide ‘Punjab Bandh’ on Thursday, October 15, from 6 AM to 5 PM, exempting only emergency services. The strike call has garnered widespread support from a joint action committee comprising social activists, farmers’ unions (including the Samyukta Kisan Morcha), and major political parties such as the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and BJP.
The joint action committee has put forth several demands, including a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the murder, alleging a deep-rooted nexus between drug smugglers, politicians, and local officials. They have also demanded the immediate dismissal of the Mansa Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and other local officers.
The murder has ignited a fierce political slugfest in the border state ahead of next year’s elections. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann released a video message vowing the strictest possible punishment for the perpetrators. Reaffirming his government’s zero-tolerance policy towards drug trafficking, Mann appealed for peace and assured that anyone involved in the conspiracy would not be spared.
Conversely, opposition leaders heavily criticized the AAP-led state government, alleging a complete breakdown of law and order. Former Chief Minister and Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi, who claimed he was stopped by police from visiting the grieving family, accused the administration of trying to hide its failures. Meanwhile, Congress MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring visited Mansa, terming the killing a “chilling reflection” of the state’s deteriorating security and demanding the Chief Minister’s resignation.
Bathinda Range DIG Harjit Singh confirmed that an FIR has been registered against two individuals, and further investigations are actively underway to uncover the full extent of the conspiracy.
Published by True Roots Media Network