MANSA, October 21 (Aalimi Nation) – The Central Bureau of Investigation has taken over the murder case of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Punjab's Mansa district and registered a fresh first information report, officials said on Wednesday. The handover came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah met the activist's family.
CBI probe begins in Mansa
A five-member team, reportedly drawn from Delhi, reached Mansa around midnight on Tuesday, according to officials. The team visited the City-2 police station, took possession of the case records and met members of Jhota's family at their residence. Mansa's Deputy Superintendent of Police (Headquarters), Pushpinder Singh, said the case had been registered as FIR No. 269 at the police station and that the CBI team had arrived to take up the investigation. An officer on the team said the new FIR had been registered in Chandigarh.
What happened on October 13
Jhota was shot at a chemist's shop in a busy market in Mansa on October 13, police and officials have said, after he confronted the shopkeeper over the alleged sale of banned and addictive drugs. Four other people were injured in the firing and are being treated at hospitals in the state. A statewide bandh was observed on October 15.
Police have arrested four people: chemist Ashwani Kumar, who is named as the main accused, his wife Neelam Rani, a cousin, Parveen Garg, and an employee identified as Laddi. Police have said the pistol allegedly used in the shooting was recovered. The station house officer of the City-2 police station, Inspector Beant Kaur, has been suspended.
Political announcements
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann announced on Tuesday morning that the case would be given to the CBI, saying the decision was in response to the family's demand. He said on social media that the state government stood with the family in its fight against drugs.
Shah later visited Mansa and met Jhota's family. Reports of the meeting say he asked the family to wait 24 hours for action and told them the investigation would be completed within 120 days. That timeline has been attributed to the meeting and has not been published in an official statement.
Family's demands
Jhota's family has sought a probe into an alleged nexus between drug sellers, the police and political representatives, and has demanded the resignations of the chief minister and the state police chief, and a fast-track trial. Protests have continued in Mansa since October 13.
What happens next
The CBI is expected to examine the records and forensic material gathered so far by Punjab Police, question the arrested persons and look into whether others were involved, officials said. The agency has not issued a detailed public statement on the scope of its inquiry, and the family's remaining demands are yet to be addressed. Officials have not said whether any further arrests are expected.
