Parvinder Jhota Murder: All 4 Accused Sent to Judicial Custody
Four accused in the killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Jhota have been remanded to judicial custody as the CBI takes over the probe.
The legal proceedings in the Parvinder Jhota murder case have taken a significant turn as all four accused individuals were remanded to judicial custody on Thursday. Mansa Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vaibhav Choudhary confirmed that the suspects were produced before the court via video conferencing, leading to the court's decision to keep them in custody.
Who are the Accused?
The four individuals currently in judicial custody are identified as:
- Ashwini Kumar
- Neelam Rani
- Deepan Garg
- Ladi
Among them, Ashwini Kumar, the owner of a medical store, is considered the primary accused and was apprehended in Rajasthan.
CBI Takes the Reins of Investigation
The case has now moved into the hands of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which officially took over the probe on Wednesday. According to SSP Vaibhav Choudhary, the CBI may now seek to take the four accused into their custody through a production warrant to further the investigation.
The Day of the Crime: A Live-Streamed Tragedy
The incident that shocked Punjab occurred on October 13, 2026, in Mansa. Parvinder Singh Jhota, a 45-year-old dedicated anti-drug activist, was inside a chemist shop when the tragedy unfolded. In a harrowing turn of events, Jhota was live-streaming on Facebook at the time of the attack.
The conflict began when Jhota confronted the chemist, Ashwani Kumar, accusing him of illegally selling addictive drugs to an elderly person. This confrontation escalated rapidly, resulting in gunfire that claimed the life of the activist and left four other people injured.
Political Fallout and High-Level Intervention
The murder of the activist sparked widespread outrage, leading to intense political pressure and demands from the victim's family for a fair investigation. This culminated in a visit by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on October 20, who met with the kin of Parvinder Singh Jhota.
The case has become a flashpoint in the ongoing political debate regarding the drug crisis in Punjab. The BJP has used the incident to criticize the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, alleging a failure to curb the menace. Home Minister Amit Shah specifically alleged that traffickers dealing in 'chitta'—a local term for highly addictive sedative substances—are flourishing under the protection of the AAP administration.