Chandigarh: Anti-drug activist Parminder Singh Jhota was shot dead in broad daylight by a medical store owner in Punjab’s Mansa district on Tuesday, triggering a major political backlash against the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
Jhota was rushed to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. “The Punjab government did not provide him with any security. The killing has intensified political heat on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, with opposition leaders uniting to demand accountability over the state’s flagship anti-drug drive, Yudh Nashean Virudh. “Information confirms the murder was committed by a chemist shop owner.
Former state Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring the murder was a direct fallout of broken law and order, noting that Jhota was previously subjected to false charges and arrest in 2023 without official backing.
Jhota was questioning the chemist over the alleged illegal sale of addictive drugs to an individual and was recording the confrontation on his mobile phone, according to the police. Speaking amid public protests in Mansa, Jhota’s father accused the Bhagwant Mann-led administration of failing to protect his son and said that his grandchildren now face threats to their lives. Nobody protected us, and now my grandchildren are at risk,” his father said, appealing to the Centre for intervention. Party leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira alleged that a “politician-police-drug mafia nexus” operates freely across the state. Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal labelled the incident “criminal negligence,” asserting that state authorities repeatedly ignored Jhota’s warnings. SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said the activist was targeted while documenting illicit drug sales on camera. No individual in Punjab will be permitted to take the law into their own hands, and the strictest action will be taken against the guilty,” Pannu said.
In the video, Jhota can be heard noting that the shop owner had drawn a pistol before the man allegedly opened fire.
