Anti-drug activist’s killing sparks fury in Punjab: Supporters set accused chemist’s shop on fire
Mansa: A day after anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot dead in Punjab’s Mansa, anger spilled onto the streets as his supporters stormed the medical store owned by the accused, threw medicines out of the premises and set the shop on fire on Wednesday.
Chanting ‘Bole So Nihal’, the group entered the establishment owned by Ashwani Kumar, the chemist accused of shooting Jhota, and began removing medicines.
The shop was subsequently set ablaze, even as police personnel remained present at the site to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
Kumar was arrested in Rajasthan’s Churu on October 14 while allegedly attempting to evade the police following the killing.
Mansa Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vaibhav Choudhary told ANI that personnel had been deployed at the location to maintain peace while the administration carried out its action.
‘We are here to maintain law and order. The administration is taking action here. We received an intimation about the same, so we came here with the force to maintain law and order. There was input regarding illegal construction, and action is being taken in connection with that,’ Choudhary said.
VIDEO | Punjab: Following public outrage over the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, protesters in Mansa vandalised and partially demolished the house of accused chemist Ashwini Kumar before setting it on fire. Bulldozer action had also been initiated to demolish… pic.twitter.com/T8Zb3BDxD2
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 14, 2026
The SSP’s remarks indicated that the administration was acting on information about alleged illegal construction at the site.
Parvinder Singh Jhota shot dead on camera
Jhota had been vocal against drug abuse and the alleged illegal sale of addictive substances through medical shops.
He was reportedly confronting Kumar over the alleged sale of certain drugs to an individual when the dispute turned fatal.
The activist was recording the confrontation when Kumar allegedly pulled out a pistol and opened fire, leaving Jhota critically injured.
In the footage of the confrontation, Jhota could be heard challenging Kumar to shoot him, saying, “Maar na” (Kill me). He was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
The killing triggered widespread anger in Punjab, with questions being raised over the state’s law-and-order situation and the effectiveness of the Aam Aadmi Party-led government’s campaign against drugs, ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’.
Jhota’s death and the subsequent arson at the accused’s medical store have brought renewed attention to the tensions surrounding the state’s anti-drug campaign.
Police deployed at the site to maintain order as the administration proceeded with its action.