MANSA: The family of slain anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota has demanded the immediate transfer of Mansa Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Chaudhary, saying it will not attend further meetings with the administration in the officer’s presence.
The demand has added another condition to negotiations as the deadlock over Jhota’s post-mortem examination and cremation continues despite three rounds of talks with a Punjab government-appointed panel.
Jhota’s father, Bhim Singh, alleged in a recorded statement on Saturday that the family was being treated disrespectfully during meetings with officials. He said neither he nor Jhota’s wife, Manpreet Kaur, would participate in discussions with the government panel if the SSP attended.
Questioning the police handling of the case, Bhim Singh alleged that officers had failed to act promptly following his son’s killing. He also demanded copies of the suspension orders issued against officials, seeking documentary confirmation of the action taken. The allegations against the police remain unproven.
During the third round of negotiations on Friday, the government panel handed over a written response accepting several demands raised by the family and the action committee.
These included a CBI investigation, a post-mortem examination by senior PGIMER doctors, security for the family, installation of a statue of Jhota in Mansa and action against medical stores found violating regulations.
However, the family and the action committee remained firm on their demands for the resignations of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav. They have continued to withhold consent for the post-mortem. According to the latest available information, Jhota’s body remains at the Civil Hospital mortuary.
Meanwhile, the CBI inspected three pharmacies in Mansa on Saturday as part of its investigation into the suspected sale of habit-forming medicines. Jhota had reportedly raised concerns about these establishments during his anti-drug campaign.
One of the inspected premises had been sealed by the Punjab Food and Drug Administration following the killing. Investigators also revisited a pharmacy in Veer Nagar and checked another near the Mansa bus stand. The agency had earlier examined the demolished medical store linked to murder accused Ashwani Kumar.
Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait also met the family and appealed for the cremation to be allowed while continuing the struggle for justice and the campaign against drugs. His intervention did not immediately resolve the impasse.
Jhota was shot dead on October 13 during a confrontation at a medical store over the alleged sale of intoxicating medicines. His killing has triggered sustained protests, with the family demanding accountability for the alleged failures that preceded and followed the murder.