Parvinder Singh Jhota murder case: Main accused Ashwani Kumar arrested from Rajasthan's Salasar
Parvinder Singh Jhota murder case: In a major breakthrough, the main accused in the Parvinder Singh Jhota murder case, Ashwani Kumar, has been arrested from Rajasthan's Salasar. The more details with regard to the arrest are awaited.
Notably, the killing of anti-drug campaigner Parminder Singh Jhota in broad daylight on Tuesday, streamed live on Facebook, has shaken Mansa and triggered a political storm in Punjab. Jhota, 45, was shot at a chemist’s shop on Tuesday morning while exposing the alleged sale of banned medicines.
What happened at the shop
According to his family, Jhota got a tip-off around 9:15 am that an elderly man had been sold prohibited intoxicant drugs at a medical store in the city. He went there with his team and started a Facebook Live broadcast on his phone.
The footage reportedly shows Jhota confronting shopkeeper Ashwani Kumar in front of a customer. The exchange became heated. His companions repeatedly called the police but, the family says, no one arrived.
Around 12 minutes into the stream, Ashwani Kumar allegedly pulled out a licensed pistol and fired at close range. Jhota sustained three bullets injuries and was rushed to Mansa Civil Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Some of his aides were also injured. The accused shut the shop and fled.
Deputy Inspector General Harjit Singh, who reached the spot, said several special teams were hunting the main accused, one of his aides has been arrested, and family members of the accused had been detained for questioning.
The police also pointed to an incident from 2023, when Jhota allegedly caught Kumar selling banned capsules, garlanded him with shoes and paraded him through the market. Cross-cases were registered against both sides at the time.
Special DGP Praveen Sinha confirmed the weapon was licensed and said an inquiry will examine how Kumar obtained the licence. Four cases are registered against him and he has been acquitted in one.
Mansa shuts down, protests continue
Tension gripped the city after the killing. Markets closed and an angry crowd ransacked the accused’s shop and threw its stock onto the street. Protesters then began an indefinite sit-in outside the Civil Hospital, which was still on at the time of writing.
They allege that drug traffickers operate with police protection and that Jhota was silenced to prevent further exposure. Their demands are a CBI investigation into the murder, resignations of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and DGP Gaurav Yadav and action against the major players in Mansa’s drug trade.
They have refused to cremate the body until these demands are met and have called a Punjab bandh on October 15. Mansa SSP Vaibhav Chaudhary has deployed additional police to maintain order.
Family rejects the 'old rivalry' claim
Jhota’s father, sitting at the dharna, rejected the police theory. He said the state government failed to protect his son and now fears for his grandchildren’s safety. He will not perform the last rites, he said, until a CBI probe is ordered and the “big fish” behind the drug trade are acted against.
His mother recalled that Jhota touched her feet and asked her to keep his meal ready before leaving home that morning. She said he was risking his life to pull Punjab’s youth out of addiction.
- PTC NEWS
