New Delhi, October 21: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case and taken over the investigation into the alleged murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Punjab’s Mansa district, officials said on Wednesday.
A special team of CBI officials has reached Punjab to investigate the case from all possible angles. The team, comprising experts in drug control, forensic science and GST, arrived in Mansa on Tuesday night and formally requested the local police to hand over the relevant documents.
According to officials, Jhota’s family members are scheduled to meet the CBI team, led by a senior DIG-rank officer, at the Mansa Circuit House on Wednesday to assist with the investigation.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced on Tuesday that the case would be handed over to the CBI following demands from Jhota’s family for an independent investigation.
In a post on X, Mann expressed solidarity with the family and reiterated the state government’s commitment to taking strict action against drug traffickers.
Jhota was shot dead on October 13 inside a medical store in a busy marketplace in Mansa. He was reportedly confronting the shop owner over the alleged sale of addictive substances to an elderly customer when the incident occurred. The activist was hosting a Facebook Live session at the time.
The store owner, Ashwani Kumar, who is accused of opening fire on Jhota, was taken into custody in Rajasthan’s Salasar.
The killing triggered widespread outrage and a political controversy in Punjab, where Assembly elections are expected early next year.
Seven days after the incident, Jhota’s post-mortem examination and cremation had reportedly remained pending, as his family members and supporters continued to demand justice before allowing the last rites to take place.
The CBI investigation is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the killing and establish the facts of the case.
