MANSA: Ashwani Kumar, the medical store owner accused of shooting dead anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, has been apprehended from Salasar in Rajasthan, even as supporters continued their protest in Mansa demanding a CBI investigation.
Jhota was killed on October 13 during a confrontation at Kumar’s medical store over the alleged sale of intoxicating medicines. The confrontation was being livestreamed on Facebook. Four other people were injured in the shooting, according to reports.
A large gathering of supporters and representatives of social organisations has demanded an independent investigation into the killing. Protesters alleged that the accused had continued selling intoxicating substances under police patronage. These allegations have not been independently established.
An action committee has called for a Punjab bandh on October 15. Jhota’s father, Bhim Singh, has endorsed the shutdown call and demanded that the investigation be handed over to the CBI. He also sought protection for the activist’s children, alleging that the family had not received adequate security despite threats.
Uncertainty persisted over the registration of the murder FIR. The Tribune’s overnight report said Mansa SSP Vaibhav Chaudhary met Jhota’s father late at night and urged him to record his statement for registration of a case. However, another report quoting Bathinda Range DIG Harjeet Singh stated that an FIR had already been registered. The FIR number and registration details could not be independently verified.
Police had earlier announced the arrest of Kumar’s cousin, Vipin, for allegedly helping him escape. Officers said preliminary inquiries pointed to an old dispute between Jhota and the chemist. The accused will be produced in the court today.
The two had previously clashed in July 2023, when Jhota and his supporters accused Kumar of selling prohibited substances and paraded him through the market with a garland of footwear. Police registered cases arising from that confrontation, and Jhota subsequently spent nearly two months in jail before being released following protests.
The killing has renewed demands for protection of anti-drug campaigners and scrutiny of the alleged illegal sale of habit-forming medicines. With supporters insisting on a CBI probe, the reported apprehension of the main accused has yet to resolve the confrontation between protesters and the authorities.