MANSA: The Action Committee spearheading the agitation over the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota has told the Punjab Government that further negotiations should be held with a group of Cabinet ministers and the Chief Secretary, instead of police and administrative officers who are not empowered to take final decisions.
A three-member delegation of the committee, including Jhota’s father Bhim Singh, held a meeting in Mansa with ADGP Gautam Cheema, Bathinda Range DIG Harjeet Singh and senior IAS officer Kulwant Singh.
The committee used the meeting to communicate its conditions for the next round of negotiations. It proposed that Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh, Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian and Chief Secretary KAP Sinha should participate in the talks.
Committee representatives said earlier meetings with administrative panels had remained inconclusive because the officers had to seek instructions from the political leadership before taking decisions.
The committee also expanded its charter by demanding the immediate release of all protesters and activists arrested or detained during and before the Jhota agitation. It sought the cancellation of criminal cases registered against them, particularly those lodged following the October 27 confrontation between police and protesters in Mansa.
Lakha Sidhana, Mohanjit Singh Sheron and several other protesters were detained after police forcibly took possession of Daljit Singh’s body while his family and supporters were taking it to the Jhota protest site. Sidhana and Sheron were subsequently arrested in a case containing charges including attempt to murder, rioting and assault on public servants.
Police alleged that a group armed with sharp-edged weapons attacked personnel and attempted to hit them with vehicles. Protesters, however, accused the police of using force, unlawfully detaining activists and taking away the body against the family’s wishes. Both versions remain contested.
Following the meeting, ADGP Gautam Cheema described the discussions as positive and said the government would consider the committee’s demands. He confirmed that the committee had sought the cancellation of cases registered after October 13 and the release of arrested persons.
The committee is also demanding a formal government notification regarding the demands that officials had earlier indicated were acceptable.
Its original charter includes accountability of police and drug-control officials accused of ignoring complaints against the chemist charged with Jhota’s murder, protection for the family and witnesses, action against the drug supply network, compensation and employment for affected families, and memorial initiatives in Jhota’s name. It has also demanded the resignations of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and DGP Gaurav Yadav.
Meanwhile, the committee has retained its programme to gherao the Chief Minister’s residence in Sangrur on November 5. It said the proposed protest would be reconsidered only if the government entered meaningful negotiations and took concrete action on its demands.
More than 100 farmer, labour, employee, teacher, student and religious organisations have extended support to the agitation. The committee has begun holding mobilisation meetings across Punjab for the November 5 protest.