Punjab Anti-Drug Activist’s Murder: Accused’s House Demolished, Shop Set On Fire

Authorities demolished the house of Ashwani Kumar in Mansa and locals later burnt his shop after the killing of anti-drug activist Parwinder Singh Jhota. Kumar remains the main accused in Jhota’s murder. Heavy police deployment stayed in place.

Ashwani Kumar, the owner of the chemist shop and the main accused in Jhota’s murder, was arrested in Rajasthan late Tuesday night in a joint operation by the Punjab and Rajasthan Police. He was reportedly hiding in disguise at a dharamshala near the Balaji Temple in Salasar, where police also recovered the pistol allegedly used in the shooting. Two people have been apprehended so far, including one accused of helping Kumar flee after the incident.

The district administration and police sent in JCB machines to pull down Kumar’s house on Gurdwara Road and his medical store near the railway tracks in Mansa. Bathinda DIG Harjit Singh said the demolition had been undertaken after completing the required formalities.

Protesters Torch Shop

Police stayed deployed.

As protesters emptied medicines from the store and flung them outside before igniting the premises, a heavy police presence remained at the site, the report said. The activists raised slogans of “Bole So Nihal” as they entered the shop and removed the medicines.

Jhota’s killing triggered protests in Mansa, with his supporters raising slogans against the police and demanding action against those responsible. The chemist shop was vandalised, while Jhota’s family refused to cremate his body as part of their protest. Several activists and political leaders also reached the town amid rising tensions.

One protester found pregabalin capsules and showed them to the crowd. The activists said the capsules were prohibited in Punjab. Locals then set the accused’s shop on fire.

The activists said the capsules backed Jhota’s campaign against banned substances and rejected the suggestion that he had any private dispute with the shop owner, as the authorities had said. They added that the state had not delivered justice, so they were pursuing “people’s justice” before officials could act. The crowd also chanted slogans pitting the government’s “Yudh Nashian Virudh” drive against “Yudh Nasha Rokan Walian Virudh”.

Police Case Update

Punjab Police had apprehended Kumar in Salasar, Rajasthan, and were bringing him to Mansa, Hindustan Times reported. A senior officer said police were in the process of lodging an FIR after Jhota’s father agreed to give a statement.

Jhota was shot dead on Tuesday following a confrontation with Kumar over the alleged sale of drugs at his medical store. Jhota had reportedly confronted the chemist after accusing him of selling drugs to an elderly man. The incident was streamed live on Jhota’s Facebook page, triggering widespread outrage. Police were awaiting a statement from Jhota’s family to register an FIR, according to the initial reports.