QUICK TAKE | Who Was Parvinder Singh Jhota, the Anti-Drug Activist Punjab Is Remembering This Diwali? Seven Things to Know
1. Who was Parvinder Singh Jhota?
Jhota was a 42-year-old anti-drug activist from Mansa who had struggled with substance abuse himself. By 2023, he had become a familiar figure in the district, using social media livestreams to confront chemists and others he accused of selling drugs illegally.
2. Why did his methods put him at odds with police?
In 2023, Jhota and his supporters allegedly assaulted a pharmacy owner and paraded him through the market with a garland of footwear. Police arrested Jhota and accused him of taking the law into his own hands. The same pharmacy owner was later arrested in connection with Jhota’s killing.
3. What happened on October 13?
Jhota was shot in daylight during a confrontation at the pharmacy in a busy Mansa market. Police said he had been livestreaming from his phone. Investigators arrested the shop’s owner after the shooting.
4. Why did the funeral take nearly four weeks?
Jhota’s family and supporters held a 22-day protest after the killing. The family agreed to a post-mortem after meeting Punjab government representatives. Doctors completed the examination at PGIMER Chandigarh on November 7, and his body was brought back to Mansa.
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5. Who is investigating the killing?
Punjab handed the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation after the family demanded a central probe. The CBI re-registered the murder case. The Punjab and Haryana High Court disposed of a petition seeking a CBI investigation after the state said it had already transferred the case.
6. Why did the killing become a political issue?
Jhota’s father alleged that his son had faced threats without adequate police protection and appealed to the Centre to protect his grandchildren. Opposition leaders questioned the Bhagwant Mann government’s record on law and order and its campaign against drugs.
7. Why did his family choose Diwali for the last rites?
His father, Bhim Singh, said the family chose November 8 to ask young people to pledge to stay away from drugs. Relatives planned to welcome Jhota’s body with flower petals before the cremation in Mansa.