Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Punjab today to meet with the families of anti-drug activists who recently lost their lives after raising their voices against synthetic drug traffickers in the state. This includes the recent broad daylight murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, who was shot dead in broad daylight by a chemist selling synthetic drugs when Jhota publicly opposed him in Mansa recently. Our Jalandhar correspondent reports that the body of the activist has not been cremated by his family even after a week of his murder. His father has said he will not cremate his son till justice is delivered.
Jhota’s father, Bhim Singh, an ex-serviceman, while welcoming the visit, has demanded a CBI probe in the case.
Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Member of Parliament Harsimrat Kaur Badal, in a letter to the Union Home Minister, has requested to order an independent CBI probe into Jhota’s murder and the wider drug trade in the state. She has demanded an exemplary punishment for those responsible for silencing voices against drugs in Punjab.
Mr Shah will also be meeting the family members of those who were allegedly killed in Gurdaspur by drug traffickers and the one, a father of a substance user, who committed suicide in Sangrur district.
Later, the Home Minister is also scheduled to attend the Dussehra ceremonies in Ludhiana.
Rajesh Bali/Jalandhar/Mail/0730
