Punjab police had dismantled the protest sites of farmers at Shambhu and Khanauri after talks with CM failed
By Satinder Bains
CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s assertion that his government has accepted all legitimate demands of slain anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota’s family signals a hardening position in the continuing Mansa standoff.
With the family and action committee refusing to allow the post-mortem until their remaining demands are addressed, the confrontation has become a test of the government’s handling of public anger over drugs and accountability.
Mann has maintained that the government has acted on the legitimate demands and that the family and committee must now decide when to perform Jhota’s last rites. His position suggests limited room for agreement on demands for his resignation and that of Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav. CM has tactically rejected all the demands of Jhota action committee.
Apprehensions about police intervention arise from recent developments and the administration’s earlier handling of prolonged agitations. The clearance of the Shambhu and Khanauri farmer protest sites remains a significant precedent. On March 19, 2025, Punjab Police detained farmer leaders and cleared both sites in a late-evening operation. Makeshift stages and tents were dismantled, and tractor-trolleys were removed.
The action against farmers followed inconclusive talks in Chandigarh between farmer representatives and the Union government. The Punjab government defended the clearance on economic grounds, without securing an agreement on the farmers’ principal demands.
That episode demonstrated the Mann government’s willingness to use police intervention to end prolonged road occupations. It does not establish that a similar operation has been planned in Mansa, but it helps explain the protesters’ distrust.
Jhota’s family continues to demand the resignations of the Chief Minister and DGP, the dismissal of officials whom it holds responsible for failures surrounding the killing, and the transfer of Mansa SSP Vaibhav Chaudhary.
The officials concerned include SHO Beant Kaur, DSP Harjinder Singh Gill and Drug Inspector Naresh Kumar. Jhota’s father, Bhim Singh, has questioned announcements of disciplinary action and sought copies of the relevant orders. The family’s lack of those documents does not independently establish that no formal orders were issued.
According to protest supporters, Nihang Sikhs are guarding the Civil Hospital mortuary where Jhota’s body remains. The family fears that authorities could take custody of the body and proceed with cremation without its consent.
Supporters cite allegations surrounding the cremation of Gulzar Singh of Toor Banjara as the reason for their apprehension. Claims that police cremated him without family consent, and that harassment after he questioned Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema contributed to his suicide, require independent verification.
The police intervention involving another deceased man’s body on October 27 has intensified these fears. Relatives and supporters alleged that police forcibly took the body while they were carrying it towards the Jhota protest site to demand action against drug dealers.
The family alleged an overdose death. SSP Chaudhary disputed that claim and maintained that police acted after receiving information about a body lying on the road. Medical confirmation of the cause of death was not available.
Reported detentions of activists, including Lakha Sidhana and Mohanjit Singh, have further aggravated tensions. Their precise legal status and the grounds for detention require confirmation. Allegations that Mohanjit had previously suffered police torture also remain unproven in the material available.
The agitation presents a growing political challenge for AAP ahead of the 2027 Assembly election. Opposition parties are using Jhota’s killing and reports of suspected overdose deaths to question the government’s record against drugs—a central issue in its promise of change.
Further coercive action could widen the confrontation and strengthen the perception among protesters that the administration is targeting those raising complaints rather than addressing their concerns.
The government’s next move will therefore carry consequences beyond Mansa. Continued dialogue could offer a route out of the deadlock; police intervention could turn a local agitation into a broader dispute over drugs, accountability and the right to protest.
Earlier, while reciting Katha at the Diwan Hall of Gurdwara Sri Manji Sahib, renowned Katha reader Bhai Sahib Bhai Pinderpal Singh informed the congregation about the life history of Sri Guru Ramdas Ji.
Meanwhile, in the Kavi Darbar at Gurdwara Sri Manji Sahib Diwan Hall, Panthic poets shared the life history and contributions of the fourth Guru with the congregation through poems. Various dignitaries and the management of Sri Darbar Sahib made elaborate arrangements for langars for the congregation.
Meanwhile, a Raag Darbar was held at the Diwan Hall of Gurdwara Sri Manji Sahib last night, in which renowned Raag jathas of the Panth sang the sacred hymns of the fourth Guru based on Raags.