Jhota Murder Case: Family Refuses Autopsy Until Punjab CM Mann, DGP Resign

The family of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, who was shot dead in Mansa last week, on Friday refused to allow a post-mortem of his body until all its demands are met, including the resignations of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav.

Jhota's family and a joint action committee seeking justice for him said they would also not perform his last rites until justice was delivered. His body remains at the mortuary of the civil hospital in Mansa.

“Until the government accepts all our demands, we will not allow the post-mortem of Jhota,” his wife, Manpreet Kaur, told reporters. The family had earlier demanded a CBI probe into the murder, following which the Punjab government transferred the investigation to the central agency.

The state government has also agreed to name a trauma centre in Mansa after Jhota and install his statue at a suitable location, such as a park or stadium. It has announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh each for the four people injured in the incident and is bearing their treatment costs.

However, the family and the joint action committee maintained that their key demands remained unfulfilled. A three-member committee of women IAS officers Navjot Kaur, Kanwalpreet Kaur Brar and Apnit Riyat met the family and the joint action committee for the third time on Friday.

Riyat later said the family had been informed about the steps taken by the government, including handing over the probe to the CBI. The government has also suspended an SHO, a deputy superintendent of police and a drug inspector in connection with the case. Officials said the post-mortem would be conducted at PGIMER in Chandigarh once the family agreed.

Jhota was shot dead on October 13 inside a medical store in a busy Mansa marketplace after questioning its owner, Ashwani Kumar, over the alleged sale of addictive drugs to an elderly man. Kumar was taken into custody from Salasar in Rajasthan. The incident, which occurred while Jhota was hosting a Facebook Live session, has triggered a political confrontation in Punjab ahead of Assembly elections early next year.