Bathinda: Giving in to demands from protesters seeking justice for slain anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, the Mansa district administration on Thursday suspended city-2 station house officer (SHO) inspector Beant Kaur.
Chaudhary said investigation into the shooting confirmed the pharmacy where Jhota was killed held a licence registered under Neelam Rani, the wife of accused Ashwani Kumar. Kumar, who fled Mansa after Tuesday’s shooting, was arrested the next morning in Salasar, Rajasthan. Escalating their agitation, Jhota’s family demanded the resignation of chief minister Bhagwant Mann and director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav for failing to curb the state’s drug trade. Bhim Singh demanded the dismissal and booking of the Mansa SSP, DSP, district drug inspector, and the SHO, while insisting that his son’s post-mortem examination be conducted by a medical board at Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh. Meanwhile, the murder led to a near-complete bandh across Mansa, with private educational institutions in Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar, and nearby districts remaining closed. Heavy police deployment was stationed across key highway junctions as farmer union members assembled in support.
A case was registered at the city-2 police station under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 103(1) (murder), 109 (attempt to murder), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), and 3(5) (common intention), along with Arms Act provisions, following a complaint filed by the victim’s father, Bhim Singh.
Mansa senior superintendent of police (SSP) Vaibhav Chaudhary said Beant Kaur was placed under suspension on administrative grounds following allegations of police negligence.
During a visit to the protest site alongside Mansa SSP Chaudhary and deputy commissioner Navjot Kaur, the DIG was challenged by Mansa advocate Gulabh Singh Mahal for making speculative statements during an ongoing investigation. Facing backlash from the action committee leading the agitation, Bathinda range deputy inspector general (DIG) Harjeet Singh issued an apology on Wednesday night for previously linking the murder to an old personal dispute.
