MANSA: Social activist Bhanu Sidhu, a friend of anti-drug activist Parwinder Singh Jhota, allegedly attempted to set a medical store on fire following Jhota’s killing in Mansa on Tuesday.Jhota was shot dead by a chemist identified as Ashwani Kumkar after a confrontation over the alleged sale of prohibited substances at his medical store. Four others were injured in the firing.Jhota had been campaigning against drug abuse and had recently accused certain medical stores of selling intoxicating pills and synthetic drugs.Police said the accused chemist had been identified and efforts were underway to arrest him.Jhota’s father has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union home minister to ensure the security of his grandchildren, alleging that the Punjab government had failed to provide protection to his son.Speaking amid protests following Jhota’s killing, his father said the family had received no protection from the state government and that his grandchildren were now also facing a threat.“The Punjab government did not provide him with any security. Nobody protected us. Now, even my grandchildren are at risk. I appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Home Minister to make arrangements for my grandchildren’s security,” he said.Vowing to continue the fight against drugs, Jhota’s father said he would keep raising his voice against the drug menace for as long as he lived.“We will continue fighting this war against drugs. As long as I am alive, I will also continue fighting against drugs in Punjab,” he said.He also raised slogans against the Punjab government, alleging that it supported drug smugglers. Calling for a large-scale protest in Mansa, he appealed to people across Punjab to unite against the drug menace.“We will have to hold a massive protest in Mansa. Otherwise, Punjab’s children will remain under stress. I am not afraid of dying; I am also ready to take a bullet,” he said.Following Jhota’s killing, opposition leaders, including former Punjab Congress president Raja Warring, Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal and Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, criticised the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government over the state’s law and order situation and its anti-drug campaign.Warring, in a post on X, alleged that Jhota’s killing reflected the failure of the state government’s law and order machinery and its anti-drug campaign.“The daylight murder of Parminder Singh Jhota is a direct result of the failed law & order and failed ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ of the @BhagwantMann govt,” Warring said.He further alleged that Jhota’s efforts against drugs had not received support from the state government. Expressing condolences to the bereaved family, Warring said, “My heart goes out to the bereaved family and supporters.”Warring added that he had briefly met Jhota’s father and family when the activist was allegedly falsely accused and arrested in 2023.Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira also targeted the AAP government, alleging that the killing exposed the failure of its anti-drug campaign..”The broad daylight murder of Parminder Singh Jhota a known and drug activist of Punjab only shows how powerful #DrugMafia is under the @AamAadmiParty govt!” Khaira said in a post on X.Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal accused the state government of criminal negligence.“I am profoundly shocked to learn about the merciless killing of Parvinder Singh Jhota by a drug trafficker. In this moment of profound sorrow, I stand with his bereaved family. This heinous murder is a stark reminder that law and order has ceased to exist in Punjab. The deceased had been continuously raising his voice against the drug menace but no one took heed and no one supported him. The much-hyped Yudh Nashian Virudh is nothing but a gimmick and has completely failed. Recent events have exposed how the Guru-Dokhi Bhagwant Mann-led AAP dispensation is completely engrossed in looting Punjab and draining the state’s resources to enrich itself. They have zero attention towards the fast-deteriorating situation in the state, and it is because of this criminal negligence that Punjabis are suffering every single day. This jungle raj must end,” he said.BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu also criticised the Punjab government over the incident, alleging a breakdown of law and order in the state.“Punjab is in the grip of fear and lawlessness. Police personnel are being murdered, citizens like Parwinder Jhota are targeted, and gangsters roam fearlessly,” Bittu said in a post on X.Questioning Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s handling of the Home portfolio, Bittu said, “With Bhagwant Mann holding the Home portfolio, who will protect Punjab when the government has failed to protect its own people?”Jhota, known for his campaign against drug abuse in Mansa, was shot by a medical shop owner. He was taken to a hospital with bullet injuries but later succumbed to them.(With Agency Inputs)
