Anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota cremated in Mansa 26 days after murder; tears, tributes mark last rites as fight for justice continues
Jhota’s family members had called him a warrior who fought against drug abuse and sacrificed his life for society.
PTC News Desk: Anti drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was cremated on Sunday, 26 days after he was shot dead in broad daylight in Mansa. His elder son and father lit the funeral pyre. His mortal remains were brought to his agricultural field on Chakerian Road for the cremation.
Jhota's family bid him a teary-eyed farewell while asserting that their fight for justice will continue.
After the postmortem was completed at Chandigarh's PGI on Saturday, November 7, Jhota's body was handed over to his family at 5 am on Sunday. During the journey from Chandigarh to Mansa, people gathered at several places to pay their last respects, showering flowers on his mortal remains.
Meanwhile, Jhota's father, Bhim Singh, has been on a hunger strike for the past two days. He had demanded that the Punjab government transfer Mansa SSP Vaibhav Chaudhary before his son's last rites. He alleged that Jhota was murdered because the SSP had failed to stop drug trafficking in the area. Bhim Singh has said he will not eat anything until the SSP is transferred.
Prolonged fight for justice
Earlier, Jhota’s family members had called him a warrior who fought against drug abuse and sacrificed his life for society. They said his struggle against drugs should motivate the youth of Punjab to join the fight against narcotics.
“Our warrior is coming home. We are filled with joy. Usually, people mourn at such times, but we are celebrating his courage. We belong to a community that has faced extreme torture — people were crushed under wheels, boiled in cauldrons and cut alive with saws. He is our warrior,” a family member told ANI while preparations for the last rites were underway.
The family also appealed to young people on Diwali to stay away from drugs and take an active part in the campaign to make Punjab drug-free.
Jhota, who was known for leading campaigns against drug abuse in Punjab, was shot dead on October 13 inside a medical store in a crowded market in Mansa. He had confronted the pharmacy owner, Ashwani Kumar, over the alleged illegal sale of prescription medicines to an elderly man. Jhota was livestreaming the confrontation on Facebook when he was shot. Four other people were also injured in the incident.
Mansa Police arrested Kumar and three other people within 24 hours of the shooting.
After the murder, Jhota’s body remained in the mortuary of Mansa Civil Hospital as his family refused to allow a post-mortem examination. The family had demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and state Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav before agreeing to the autopsy.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has re-registered the murder case and started a detailed investigation into the killing.