The murder of Mansa-based activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, while he was filing his verbal confrontation with a chemist shop owner who was allegedly selling illicit drugs last week, is emerging as a major political challenge for Bhagwant Mann’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, with state elections barely five months away.
The BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have launched attacks on the state government. The BJP has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the killing, with its national president Nitin Nabin questioning how people fighting against drugs could remain safe if the state failed to protect them. SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia has gone further, demanding the dissolution of the state government and the imposition of President’s Rule. Congress leaders have described the killing as a reflection of the state’s deteriorating law-and-order situation and questioned the government’s ability to tackle the drug menace. Jhota’s killing has become a rallying point for people demanding stronger action against drugs and accountability from the authorities. The statewide bandh called by his family and supported by Opposition parties, farmer organisations and other groups reflected the breadth of the anger. The proposed demonstrations outside AAP legislators’ homes could take the agitation into several constituencies, placing pressure on local party leaders to respond to questions about the government’s anti-drug drive. For the AAP government, the challenge is two-fold: ensuring a credible investigation into the murder and addressing the broader public concerns surrounding drug trafficking in Punjab.
Punjab Congress president Pargat Singh said the party stood firmly with Jhota’s family. He also said the government was pursuing a zero-tolerance policy against drug trafficking and the illegal sale of addictive substances.
