MANSA: Slain anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was cremated at his family’s agricultural fields on Chakerian Road in Mansa on Sunday, 26 days after his killing, as relatives and thousands of supporters gathered to bid him an emotional farewell.
His father, Bhim Singh, and elder son lit the funeral pyre. The cremation on Diwali followed a prolonged standoff between the family and the Punjab government over demands for justice and action against officials.
Jhota’s body was brought from PGIMER, Chandigarh, to Mansa early Sunday after the post-mortem examination was completed on Saturday. People gathered along the route to pay their respects and showered flower petals on his mortal remains.
The family maintained that the cremation would not mark an end to its struggle for justice.
Bhim Singh, a former Army man, has been observing an indefinite fast demanding the transfer of Mansa SSP Vaibhav Chaudhary. Ahead of the last rites, he maintained that he would continue the fast even after his son’s cremation until the demand was met.
His health had deteriorated during the fast in Chandigarh, where doctors attended to him. Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian said he would speak with him after the cremation to try to resolve the issue.
Bhim Singh also appealed to Punjab’s youth to mark Diwali by pledging to abandon drugs. He urged young people to carry forward his son’s campaign, saying that protecting others from addiction would be a fitting tribute to him.
Jhota was shot dead at a medical store in Mansa on October 13 after confronting its owner over the alleged sale of addictive drugs. The shop owner was subsequently arrested. The killing triggered protests, with the family and the Insaaf Action Committee refusing to proceed with the last rites until their demands were addressed. thehitavada.com
A breakthrough came during negotiations on November 4, when the government agreed to compensation, a government job for Jhota’s wife and the release of arrested protesters, along with withdrawal of cases against them. Lakha Sidhana and Mohanjit Singh Sheron were released from Nabha jail on Thursday.
The agreement paved the way for the post-mortem, but Bhim Singh’s demand for the SSP’s transfer remained unresolved.