CHANDIGARH: Mansa Police have suspended City-2 Station House Officer Beant Kaur with immediate effect amid mounting demands for accountability following the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota.
Mansa Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Choudhary issued the suspension order on Thursday. Jhota’s family had demanded action against police officials, including Kaur, over the circumstances surrounding the killing. The detailed grounds recorded in the suspension order were not available in the reports reviewed.
District police have also recommended departmental action against DSP Harjinder Singh Gill, referring the matter to the Director General of Police’s office. According to the SSP, any action against the DSP will be decided at police headquarters. No suspension order against Gill could be confirmed.
The developments came as Punjab observed a bandh demanding justice for Jhota, who was shot dead on October 13 during a confrontation with medical store owner Ashwani Kumar over the alleged sale of intoxicating medicines.
Kumar was apprehended in Salasar, Rajasthan. Police have also booked his wife, Neelam Rani. The SSP said preliminary inquiries found that the medical store’s pharmacy licence was in her name and assured a transparent investigation.
The murder case was registered at City-2 police station on the complaint of Jhota’s father, Bhim Singh, under provisions relating to murder, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy and other offences, along with the Arms Act.
The suspension has come against the backdrop of allegations by the family and protesters that officials failed to act against suspected drug sellers. Those allegations remain under investigation; the departmental action does not itself establish criminal involvement by either officer.
Jhota’s family continued to withhold consent for his last rites, insisting on a CBI investigation and accountability from the state government and senior police leadership. Bathinda Range DIG Harjit Singh met the family, but the discussions had not produced an agreement, according to reports.
Thursday’s shutdown affected markets, educational institutions and road traffic in several districts, with farmer organisations and other groups holding demonstrations. Emergency services were exempted from the bandh.