Parvinder Singh Jhota's Post-Mortem To Be Conducted At PGIMER Chandigarh As Deadlock Ends

The post-mortem of slain anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota will be conducted at PGIMER here on Friday after his family agreed to it and ended their 22-day-long agitation following a meeting with Punjab government representatives.

Jhota's body, which had been lying in the mortuary of Civil Hospital in Mansa town for over three weeks, was shifted to PGIMER Chandigarh in an ambulance late Thursday night, sources said.

The Joint Action Committee seeking justice for Jhota -- who was shot dead in Mansa town on October 13 -- had sought the release of two of its arrested members, among other demands.

The arrested committee members, Lakhvir Singh alias Lakha Sidhana and Mohanjit Singh Sheron, were released from Nabha district jail on Thursday evening.

After the post-mortem at PGIMER, Jhota's last rites are expected to be held in Mansa on Friday.

Jhota's father Bhim Singh was present when Jhota's body was taken in an ambulance from the Civil Hospital in Mansa, sources said.

After a three-week-long deadlock, the breakthrough came on Wednesday after a five-hour meeting between Jhota's family, the Joint Action Committee and government representatives, including Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian.

Following the talks, the state government agreed to release the protesters and withdraw the cases registered against them. It also assured Rs 2 crore compensation to Jhota's family and a job for his wife.

Jhota was shot dead in broad daylight outside a medical store in a busy marketplace in Mansa on October 13. His body had been lying at the mortuary of the Civil Hospital in Mansa since then.

Ashwani Kumar, the store owner, had allegedly opened fire at Jhota after he questioned him for selling addictive drugs to an elderly man. Kumar was taken into custody from Salasar in Rajasthan.

The incident, which took place while Jhota was hosting a Facebook Live session, triggered a political slugfest in Punjab, which goes to polls early next year.

Many leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leader Sachin Pilot, Punjab Congress chief Pargat Singh, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon had met Jhota's family.

The Joint Action Committee comprising various organisations and social activists, formed after Jhota's murder, had been pressing for the resignations of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav.

Punjab Agriculture Minister Khudian visited the family of Jhota on Tuesday evening. He was the first AAP leader who met the family to express his condolences.

The Punjab government had earlier handed over the probe into Jhota's death to the CBI following his family's demand.

The government has suspended a station house officer, a deputy superintendent of police and a drug inspector in connection with the case.