Anti-drug activist’s murder: Mansa SHO suspended, wife of accused booked, kin refuse cremation

Mansa continued to simmer on Thursday, three days after anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot dead allegedly by a chemist, as thousands of protesters gathered at two sites in the city and his family refused to allow his cremation until justice was delivered. The authorities suspended a woman SHO of City-2 police station and booked two more persons, including the accused’s wife, in connection with the case, but the action failed to cool the frayed tempers.

The agitation, which began after Jhota was shot dead inside a medical store on Tuesday, widened beyond the killing to questions over the police and administration’s handling of complaints against the accused, Ashwani Kumar, the store owner. At the centre of the standoff is Jhota’s father, Bhim Singh, an ex-serviceman, who, along with a newly formed action committee, has ruled out the cremation until its demands are met.

The protesters are demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe resignations of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav. The family has said it will not accept compensation or a government job, insisting that justice, not financial assistance, is its priority. It has left decisions on the agitation’s next course to the committee coordinating the protest.

The scale of the mobilisation has posed a challenge for the district administration and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Thousands have gathered along the Mansa-Sirsa Road highway and at the Civil Hospital, where Jhota’s body is being kept. The two sites, around three kilometres apart, have become venues for speeches attacking the state government and demanding action against officials alleged to have failed to act against those involved in the drug trade.

Amritsar: Shops remain closed during a bandh called to protest the killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh alias Jhota in Mansa, in Amritsar, Punjab, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (PTI Photo/Shiva Sharma)(PTI10_15_2026_000111A)

The action committee brings together people from different backgrounds, including communists, Sikh leaders, political representatives and members of civil society. Speakers have accused the authorities of failing to protect an activist who had repeatedly raised his voice against drug abuse and the alleged sale of addictive substances at chemist shops. Videos of Jhota’s earlier confrontations with police personnel and medical store owners have resurfaced on social media, adding to public anger.

The backlash also reached local AAP leaders. Mansa MLA Vijay Singla and local party leader Chuspinder Singh Chahal came under criticism at the gatherings, with speakers alleging that people targeting activists had enjoyed administrative protection. Posters bearing the AAP’s name and imagery have been turned over in parts of the town. Protesters have arrived from Assembly segments that are also AAP strongholds.

Amid mounting pressure, the police on Thursday suspended Beant Kaur, the Station House Officer of City-2 police station, with immediate effect.

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Mansa SSP Vaibhav Choudhary issued the suspension order for SHO Beant Kaur amid demands for action against certain police officers, including Kaur, by Jhota’s family members.

Choudhary said preliminary investigation revealed that the pharmacy licence for the medical store where Jhota was shot was in the name of Kumar’s wife, Neelam Rani, who has now been booked in the case. “We will conduct a transparent investigation in the matter,” Choudhary said.

Police have registered a case under sections 103 (1) (murder), 109 (attempt to murder), 118 (1) (voluntary causing hurt by dangerous weapon or means), 61 (2) (criminal conspiracy), and 3(5) (common intention) of BNS and relevant sections of the Arms Act at the City-2 police station.

The killing took place in a busy marketplace while Jhota was hosting a Facebook Live session. According to his father’s complaint based on which the FIR has been registered, Jhota had confronted Kumar after questioning him over the sale of addictive drugs to an elderly man. Bhim Singh said his only son, a boxer and cricket player, had begun campaigning against drugs after being distressed by deaths caused by substance abuse in Punjab. He alleged that the campaign had brought Jhota into conflict with drug smugglers and politicians and government officials allegedly involved in the trade. He further alleged that Kumar and his associates had conspired to murder his son.

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The emergence of an arms licence showing that Kumar held two weapons — a 7.62 mm pistol and a .12-bore gun — has added another dimension to questions being raised over the case. The licence was issued in 2024.

SSP Choudhary said that the issue was actively being investigated as part of the broader case. According to the police, details regarding the weapon will be officially sought from the licensing authority, while the current focus remains anchored on the core investigation of the murder itself.

Similarly, authorities have not yet released precise details concerning the past criminal record of Kumar. The SSP said that “5 to 6 cases have been registered against Kumar in the past,” but refrained from providing a comprehensive breakdown or clarifying the current legal status of those pending cases.

Mann, meanwhile, described the killing as tragic and said everyone responsible would face strict action, including those who may have planned or conspired in the crime. “No one involved will be spared,” he said, adding that anyone found to have played a role in the conspiracy would also be brought within the ambit of the law.

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Mann also accused opposition parties of politicising the killing. “It is unfortunate that opposition parties are playing politics over the dead bodies and using this tragedy to serve their vested interests,” he said, adding that the government’s priority was to ensure accountability and uphold the rule of law.

The statements have done little to ease the standoff on the ground, where protesters continue to insist that the family’s demands be addressed before the last rites can take place.

Alongside the demand for justice, the protest leadership has sought to prevent the agitation from turning into a confrontation between communities or disrupting relations with local residents. Chamkaur Singh, uncle of slain Punjabi singer Shubhdeep Singh, popularly known as Sidhu Moosewala, urged demonstrators to maintain restraint while moving through the town and not to disturb traders or residents.

“The people in the city are with us,” he told the gathering, cautioning against any situation in which protesters and locals came face to face. He also warned against attempts to use the agitation to spread communal hatred.

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The appeal comes as the protests and the shutdown brought much of Mansa’s commercial activity to a halt. While local traders have largely remained tight-lipped due to the tense situation, some merchants speaking anonymously noted that with the city locked down for three consecutive days, “the committee running the protest should consider allowing the traders to resume their business.” They stressed that an extended shutdown hurts not only business owners but also “the poor employees employed by them,” highlighting a growing local concerns.