Punjab anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota cremated 26 days after murder
The activist's remains were consigned to flames in Mansa after his family ended a 22-day protest following a government agreement.
The mortal remains of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota were cremated at his native farmland on Chakerian Road in Mansa on Sunday. According to the Hindustan Times, the ceremony took place 26 days after Jhota was shot dead in broad daylight at a Mansa marketplace on October 13.
Jhota was killed while hosting a Facebook Live session after confronting a medical store owner regarding the sale of addictive drugs to an elderly man. The store owner was subsequently arrested for the shooting. The murder triggered a political dispute and a 22-day protest by the Parvinder Singh Jhota Insaaf Action Committee (JAC) and the activist's family.
The cremation followed a post-mortem at PGIMER Chandigarh on Saturday, which was made possible after the family reached an agreement with Punjab government representatives on November 4. The government has agreed to provide compensation, a government job for Jhota's wife, Manpreet Kaur, and to file cancellation reports for cases registered against protesters.
During the proceedings, Jhota's father, Bhim Singh, urged the youth of Punjab to pledge against drug abuse. While the government agreed to several demands, including the installation of a statue of Jhota, Bhim Singh refused to end his indefinite hunger strike. He is demanding the transfer of Mansa SSP Vaibhav Chaudhary.
The Punjab government has handed the investigation into the death over to the CBI. In connection with the case, the state has also taken disciplinary action against a drug inspector, a deputy superintendent of police, and a station house officer.