Chandigarh, Oct 13 (IANS) Anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot dead in Punjab’s Mansa on Tuesday morning. The killing has raised concerns over the safety of those campaigning against drug abuse and the alleged illegal sale of intoxicating substances in the region. According to a preliminary report, a medical store owner allegedly opened fire on the activist following tensions over his anti-drug activities.
Jhota, who was associated with an anti-drug task force, had been actively campaigning against drug trafficking and the alleged sale of addictive substances.
He had reportedly confronted individuals suspected of selling drugs and mobilised local communities to oppose the drug menace.
Mansa Civil Hospital SMO Gurmail Singh told the media that Jhota had sustained three bullet injuries. “One of the bullets had pierced Parvinder’s liver, leading to his death,” he said.
The report stated that he sustained multiple gunshot wounds at close range. The activist had become known on social media as “Jhota” for his campaign against the alleged sale of prohibited capsules at medical stores in Mansa and nearby areas.
According to the initial report, a medical store owner allegedly opened fire on Jhota following tensions linked to his anti-drug activities.
His efforts reportedly led several village panchayats to adopt resolutions opposing drug abuse. His confrontations with people he accused of drug-related activities had also drawn controversy.
The reported killing has created tension in the city. However, details about the circumstances leading to the shooting, the identity and status of the alleged shooter, and any police action had not been independently confirmed in the reports available at the time of writing.
Responding to the crime, state Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said, “The daylight murder of Parvinder Singh Jhota is a direct result of the failed law and order and failed ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ of the @BhagwantMann govt.”
“Parvinder stood up against Punjab’s drug menace but his initiatives were never supported by the @AAPPunjab govt. His broad daylight murder exposes serious failures of the AAP Govt. My heart goes out to bereaved family and supporters.
“I had briefly met Parvinder’s father and his family when he was falsely accused and arrested in 2023. May Waheguru give strength to the family in these difficult times,” Warring wrote on X.
–IANS
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