Chandigarh, Oct 14: Anger against the medical store owner accused of killing anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh alias Jhota spilled onto the streets of Punjab’s Mansa town on Wednesday, with authorities razing a portion of his house and mobs setting ablaze his shop nearby to slogans and loud cheers.
Jhota, known for raising his voice against drug abuse and illegal sale of addictive substances at chemist shops, was shot in broad daylight at a busy marketplace on Tuesday.
Ashwani Kumar, the medical store owner who opened fire on Jhota after he questioned him for selling addictive drugs to an elderly man, has been taken into custody from Salasar in Rajasthan, police said
The incident took place while the activist was hosting a Facebook Live.
The daylight killing has triggered a political slugfest in Punjab, which goes to polls early next year, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann vowing the strictest punishment for the accused, and opposition leaders claiming a complete breakdown of law and order amid a “Jungle Raj” in the state.
Reiterating the state government’s zero-tolerance policy towards drug trafficking, Mann appealed to the people to maintain peace.
“An unfortunate incident has taken place in Mansa in which social worker Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot dead. I want to make it clear that Punjab Police will leave no stone unturned to ensure the strictest punishment for the culprits,” Mann said in a video message.
“Anybody found hatching a conspiracy in this matter will also not be spared,” he added.
Bathinda Range DIG Harjit Singh said Kumar has been arrested and an FIR has been registered against two persons.
Earlier, police detained Akali Dal Waris Punjab De leader Manpreet Singh Ayali and his supporters after they were stopped at Halwara Chowk in Jagraon as they headed to Mansa to express grief with Jhota’s family.
Former chief minister and Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi also accused Punjab Police of stopping him from heading toward Mansa.
A heated argument took place between Channi’s supporters and some police officers when they were stopped from going ahead.
“Punjab Police is stopping us at the instance of the Mann government to hide its failure,” Channi claimed.
Earlier, dramatic scenes unfolded in the Veer Nagar area as an excavator razed the front portion of Kumar’s house located in an alley.
People could be seen climbing the boundary walls of the nearby houses to catch a glimpse of the demolition, which, according to police, followed information about unauthorised construction on the premises.
The bulldozer action was also initiated at Kumar’s store located about 700 metres from the house, before angry mobs, including some ‘Nihangs’, ripped it apart amid heavy police presence, with a large crowd filming the act.
They vandalised the store, where Jhota was shot, with swords, sticks and stones, with the crowd raising slogans against the accused as the structure came apart brick by brick, before it was set ablaze.
The mob also dragged the furniture from the store onto the road and set it ablaze.
A joint action committee comprising various organisations formed after Jhota’s murder has given a call for a Punjab Bandh on Thursday, demanding handover of the probe to the CBI, and a post-mortem at the PGIMER in Chandigarh.
Several politicians also visited Mansa on Wednesday to express grief with the victim’s family.
Congress MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, who met the bereaved family, termed the killing a “chilling reflection” of the “deteriorating” law and order in Punjab.
He also asked Mann to resign as the chief minister if his government cannot ensure the safety of its people.
The drug menace is one of the biggest issues facing Punjab today, which the Mann government has failed to curb, Warring said.
Punjab Congress president Pargat Singh said his party stands firmly with Jhota’s family, and will raise its voice at every level to ensure justice for him.
Addressing a group of protesters in Mansa, Singh said the drug trade in Punjab poses a serious challenge to the future of the state’s younger generation.
“Preventing drug trafficking, identifying the networks involved in this trade, and taking strict action against those responsible are among the government’s primary responsibilities,” the Jalandhar Cantt MLA said.
