Story perspectives

Anti-drug activist Parvinder Jhota shot dead in Punjab

By Drooid · Oct 18, 2026, 4:25 PM UTC · How we work

Center

Police Cite Phone Dispute

Anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot dead in Mansa district, Punjab, on 14 October 2026.
Punjab police said the Batala killing stemmed from a mobile-phone dispute, rejecting earlier drug-peddler claims, according to officials.
Authorities arrested Ashwani Kumar, seized his pistol, and administration demolished Kumar’s shop and house front.
SGPC announced Jhota’s photo will be displayed at Central Sikh Museum in a new exhibit.

Right

Political Protest Symbolism

Anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot dead inside a medical store in Mansa, Punjab, on 13 October 2026.
Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon urged supporters to wear black turbans, dupattas and carry black flags during the protest.
Jhota’s father Bhim Singh demanded Minister Bhagwant Mann resign and called for a CBI investigation.
Police, cooperating with Rajasthan authorities, arrested alleged shooter Ashwani Kumar in Salasar, Rajasthan.

Blindspot

District administration demolished part of chemist Ashwani Kumar’s shop and the front portion of his house in Rajasthan, citing illegal construction.
Within this story’s sources, this angle appears mainly in Center-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Right-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

The NDPS Act, enacted November 1985 and supported by the Narcotics Control Bureau (created March 1986), was amended in 2014 to drop a mandatory death sentence for repeat traffickers. Punjab’s 1995 amendment, pushed by Chief Minister Beant Singh after activist Harbhajan Singh’s murder, imposed a INR10 million fine and ten-year jail, a stance echoed in the 2026 shooting of Parvinder Singh Jhota and demolition of Ashwani Kumar’s shop.

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Police Cite Phone Dispute

Anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot dead in Mansa district, Punjab, on 14 October 2026.
Punjab police said the Batala killing stemmed from a mobile-phone dispute, rejecting earlier drug-peddler claims, according to officials.
Authorities arrested Ashwani Kumar, seized his pistol, and administration demolished Kumar’s shop and house front.
SGPC announced Jhota’s photo will be displayed at Central Sikh Museum in a new exhibit.

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