Centre Grants X-Category Security to Families of Jhota and Gulzar Singhਕੇਂਦਰ ਨੇ ਝੋਟਾ ਅਤੇ ਗੁਲਜ਼ਾਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਦੇ ਪਰਿਵਾਰਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਐਕਸ ਸ਼੍ਰੇਣੀ ਦੀ ਸੁਰੱਖਿਆ ਦਿੱਤੀ

The Centre has granted X-category security cover to the families of two men who had raised their voice against the drug trade in Punjab, Mirror Now and The North News reported on Friday, 30 October 2026. The protection, provided by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), covers the parents of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota of Mansa, who was shot dead on 13 October, and the wife of Gulzar Singh of Toor Banjara village in Dirba, Sangrur district, who died on 7 September. Under the arrangement, each family will have three security personnel, Mirror Now reported. Local BJP leader Daman Bajwa confirmed that the security teams had been dispatched to be stationed with the families.

Who are the two families?

Jhota, 42, was shot dead during a confrontation at a chemist shop in Mansa on 13 October after repeatedly campaigning, including on Facebook Live, against the alleged sale of habit-forming drugs. His parents and his family have been at the centre of the protest that has continued in Mansa since his killing, demanding accountability from officials, and the murder investigation has since been handed to the CBI. The North News reported that the CBI has completed its initial interrogation of the four accused in the case and that a CBI court in Mohali has sent them to 14 days of judicial custody. Gulzar Singh was a Dalit daily-wage worker from Toor Banjara who publicly questioned Finance Minister Harpal Cheema about drug sales in his village at a public event on 6 September and died the next day. His family has alleged that he faced harassment and caste-based abuse after the confrontation, an allegation the government side has disputed in earlier exchanges over the case.

How was the deployment confirmed?

Dirba Deputy Superintendent of Police Rupinder Kaur Bajwa confirmed that local police had received verbal notification from the CRPF about the deployment, Mirror Now reported. The grant follows Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Punjab on 20 October, when he met Gulzar Singh's family at Toor Banjara and Jhota's family in Mansa, as well as the family of Bikramjit Singh, a 40-year-old anti-drug campaigner from Marhi Pannwan village in Gurdaspur who was killed after opposing the drug trade in his neighbourhood. During those meetings the families sought protection and a fair investigation. The Punjab government had also assured Jhota's family and the Insaaf Committee of adequate security during negotiations over the Mansa protest.

Why does central security matter here?

X-category is the entry-level classification in India's central security system and is given after a threat assessment by the Home Ministry. A central cover for the two families underlines how far the fallout from Punjab's drug-linked deaths has travelled beyond the state government, which has been under sustained opposition attack over the Jhota killing and the protests in Mansa. It does not change who investigates the cases: the Jhota murder is with the CBI, while Gulzar Singh's death remains politically contested, with his family demanding a central probe. For both families, who continue to appear at protests and before officials, the cover is meant to let them pursue their demands without fear.

Which families have received central security?

The parents of Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa and the wife of Gulzar Singh in Toor Banjara village, Dirba, in Sangrur district, Mirror Now and The North News reported.

What does X-category security mean here?

An X-category cover provided by the CRPF, with three security personnel assigned to each family under the arrangement reported by Mirror Now.

When did Amit Shah meet the families?

On 20 October 2026, during a Punjab visit in which he met the families in Sangrur and Mansa and also visited Bikramjit Singh's family in Gurdaspur district.