In a post on X, the SGPC said, “The Shiromani Committee has extended its full support to the call for a Punjab bandh in protest against the killing of Bhai Parvinder Singh Jhota.”
Anger over the killing has intensified in Mansa, where the main accused, Ashwani Kumar, has become the focus of public outrage. An angry crowd set fire to the accused’s house and vandalised his medical shop. Meanwhile, the Mansa administration has initiated bulldozer action against the shop, citing information about illegal construction.
Heavy police deployment has been made in the area amid concerns over possible violence. Mansa Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vaibhav Chaudhary said the police had arrived to maintain law and order while the administration carried out its action.
“We are here to maintain law and order. The administration is taking action. We had received information about this, so we came here with the force to maintain law and order. We had received information about illegal construction, and action is being taken in connection with that,” Chaudhary said.
The killing of the anti-drug activist has intensified protests across the region, with demonstrators calling for accountability from the state government and police leadership. The family’s refusal to perform the last rites until the accused is arrested has added to the pressure for action in the case.
The BJP has called for a CBI investigation into the killing, while protesters have demanded the resignations of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and DGP Gaurav Yadav.
NHRC Member Raises Alarm Over Punjab’s Law and Order
National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) member Priyank Kanoongo described the shooting of the anti-drug activist as a serious matter and raised concerns over the law-and-order situation in Punjab.
“The brutal manner in which a socially active person working against drugs in Punjab has been murdered is a very serious matter. It indicates that law and order are failing there, where the intentions of the mafia selling drugs in the name of medicines have become so emboldened that they want to silence those who raise their voices by shooting them. This situation is extremely dangerous,” Kanoongo said.
Recalling the lives lost during Punjab’s period of terrorism, he warned that the current drug-related situation could push the state towards a similar condition.
“We lost many lives in Punjab during the era of terrorism. This era of drugs has also reached a point where it could take Punjab towards the same situation,” he said.
The killing has brought the state’s response to drug-related activities, the safety of those campaigning against narcotics and the law-and-order situation into sharp focus. With the Punjab bandh scheduled for October 15, the administration faces mounting pressure as demands for the accused’s arrest and an independent investigation continue.
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