Punjab Govt to Hand Over Anti-Drug Activist Jhota Murder Case to CBI

The Punjab government on Tuesday announced that the murder case of anti-drug activist Parminder Singh Jhota, who was shot dead in Mansa on October 13, would be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), accepting a demand raised by his family.

The announcement came ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s day-long visit to Punjab, during which he is scheduled to meet the families of three people whose deaths have drawn attention to the state’s drug menace.

“We stand firmly with the father and family of Parminder Singh Jhota, who has been fighting against drugs. Respecting the family’s demand, we are handing over the case to the CBI,” Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said in a post on X.

Reaffirming the government’s commitment to tackling drug trafficking, Mann said the state would continue taking stringent measures to make Punjab drug-free.

“Our fight against drug traffickers is a decisive one. We will not back down from taking any stringent measures necessary to make Punjab drug-free,” he added.

Jhota’s killing triggered protests and intensified demands for action against drug traffickers, with his family seeking justice and greater protection for those campaigning against drug abuse. His father, Bhim Singh, has welcomed Shah’s visit and invited the Union Home Minister to meet the family at their residence rather than at the protest site.

Shah’s itinerary includes visits to Mansa, Sangrur and Gurdaspur, followed by Dussehra celebrations in Ludhiana, where an effigy symbolising ‘Chitta’, a synthetic drug, is scheduled to be burnt alongside that of Ravana.

In Gurdaspur district, Shah is scheduled to visit Mari Panwan village to meet the family of Bikramjit Singh, who was killed on October 15.

In Sangrur district, he is expected to meet the family of Gulzar Singh, who died by suicide on September 7 following an alleged confrontation related to drug sales in his village and remarks directed at Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema. The circumstances surrounding the death have become part of the wider political debate over the drug problem.

The Union Home Ministry has also sought detailed reports from the Punjab government regarding three cases linked to the controversy.

The visit comes as drug trafficking and drug-related deaths have emerged as major political issues in Punjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.

State BJP General Secretary Anil Sareen said the three families scheduled to meet Shah had become symbols of the fight against drugs in Punjab. He reiterated the BJP’s pledge to make the state completely drug-free by December 31, 2029, if the party forms the government.

Sareen criticised the Aam Aadmi Party government, alleging that Punjab was struggling with the devastating impact of drugs while Chief Minister Mann was on a foreign tour. He claimed the state government had failed the affected families and said the BJP stood firmly with them.