Punjab bandh over anti-drug activist Parminder Singh Jhota’s murder

Heavy police deployment was noticed in Amritsar on Thursday amid a Punjab bandh called by several farmers’ and workers’ organisations. The demonstration comes after the alleged murder of anti-drug activist Parminder Singh Jhota in Mansa district.

Police said that adequate security arrangements had been made to maintain law and order during the call for bandh.

Speaking to the media about the security arrangements, Jaskaran Singh Teja, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), City, said that sufficient police personnel had been deployed and the situation remained peaceful. He said no one would be allowed to take the law into their own hands or force shopkeepers and businesses to participate in the shutdown.

Teja asserted, “We have deployed sufficient force. Things are going on peacefully. Sufficient force has been deployed. We will not let anyone take the law into their own hands. Everything will happen peacefully. If someone closes the shop of their own will, they can do so. No one will be forced to do so,” as cited by ANI.

Explaining the reason behind the shutdown, the DCP said the call had been issued in connection with the activist murder in Mansa. He further asserted that police personnel had been deployed to ensure that people were not forced to close their shops or disrupt normal activities.

“Those who want to close the shop on their own will, or there is some market, that will happen. The rest will continue as it is. We have deployed as much force as we need,” Teja added.

Meanwhile, locals blocked the Bathinda-Mansa road near Bhaini Bagha village in response to the call for a Punjab Bandh on Thursday, October 15.

A leader of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) said various farmers’ and workers’ organisations, including the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee Punjab, had jointly called for the statewide bandh.

The farmer leader said, “There is a call for Punjab Bandh today. All the unions of KMM, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee Punjab, all together called a Punjab Bandh to the Punjabis.”

He also claimed that traffic was thin on the roads and most shops and businesses remained closed.

The leader also announced further protests against the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government, accusing it of failing to control drug-related activities in the state.

“And to make this bandh more successful, we will burn the ashes of the Bhagwant Mann government. By doing their dope test at various places, we will expose the truth in front of them,” the leader said.

Questioning the state government’s claim of following a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs, the leader said, “Bhagwant Mann ji is telling the state that we have zero tolerance against drugs. This is being untruthful to the state. The maximum drug sale is taking place under the Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab.”

The leader also criticised the state government’s response to Jhota’s murder and rejected the suggestion that the killing stemmed from personal rivalry.

He also added, “This is not a good statement for the peace of Punjab that it was a personal rivalry, absolutely personal. There was no enmity. Palvinder Singh, a struggler for the people’s issues, was murdered by the drug mafia,” as cited by ANI.

The leader also appealed to the public to ensure that emergency services remained operational during the shutdown, urging people not to obstruct patients, wedding processions or passengers facing emergencies.

“We will appeal to the youth and Punjabis to allow patients to go during this shutdown and to ensure emergency services are maintained. If a groom arrives, it’s a wedding procession; he should be allowed to go. If a passenger arrives from the airport and has an emergency, he should be allowed to go. Emergency services should be maintained; lives should be maintained,” the leader said.

The bandh call follows the killing of Jhota, an anti-drug activist from Mansa district who was allegedly shot by a medical shop owner on Tuesday. He was taken to a hospital after sustaining bullet injuries but later succumbed to them.

Jhota’s father, Bhim Singh, had criticised the state administration over its failure to prevent the attack and demanded accountability from the Chief Minister and the DGP. He also called for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

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