Jhota's Family Holds Out on Cremation; Panel to Gherao AAP Homes Mondayਝੋਟਾ ਦੇ ਸਸਕਾਰ 'ਤੇ ਅੜਿੱਕਾ ਕਾਇਮ; ਕਮੇਟੀ ਸੋਮਵਾਰ ਨੂੰ 'ਆਪ' ਆਗੂਆਂ ਦੇ ਘਰਾਂ ਦਾ ਘਿਰਾਓ ਕਰੇਗੀ

The family of slain anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota is still refusing to cremate him, and the action committee leading the sit-in in Mansa says it will gherao the homes and offices of AAP ministers and MLAs across Punjab on Monday, 19 October. The standoff entered its sixth day on Sunday, according to Punjab News Express, with Jhota's body still at the Mansa civil hospital mortuary.

Gherao planned for Monday

The action committee announced on Friday that it would picket the residences and offices of AAP legislators and paste letters of condemnation outside them on 19 October, LokVox and Hindusthan Samachar reported. It also thanked acting Akal Takht Jathedar Kuldeep Singh Gargaj for calling Jhota a martyr. Jhota, a former boxer, was shot dead on 13 October at a chemist shop in Mansa, allegedly by the shop owner, Ashwani Kumar, after confronting him over the alleged sale of addictive drugs.

What the family and committee want

Father Bhim Singh has said the family will not perform the last rites until its demands are met. Babushahi lists them as a CBI probe, the resignation of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and DGP Gaurav Yadav, action against senior district police and drug-control officials, and a post-mortem by a panel of doctors from PGIMER, Chandigarh. LokVox adds a memorial in Jhota's name, such as a stadium or trauma centre, and Rs 10 lakh from the state for each of the four people injured in the shooting.

Mansa Dussehra called off

In a sign of the mood in the town, Mansa's Dussehra committee has decided not to hold celebrations on 20 October, LokVox reported. Punjab News Express said members of Mansa's Hindu community decided not to celebrate Dussehra in solidarity with the family. Bhim Singh had asked people to go ahead with the festival.

What the authorities have done

Police have arrested Ashwani Kumar, who is in seven-day police custody, and his wife, and the Mansa City-2 SHO has been suspended. The district administration has cancelled the accused's arms licence, according to Babushahi. Mansa police have also registered FIRs over arson, vandalism and inflammatory content during the protests, and the Union Home Ministry has asked Punjab for a detailed report.

On Saturday, AAP's Mansa MLA Vijay Singla visited two of the injured at the civil hospital and was chased out by protesters, including Nihangs, LokVox reported. He denied protecting the accused, saying: "He never came to us, and we never entertained him." Earlier this week the SGPC announced aid for the injured and a portrait of Jhota at the Central Sikh Museum, which the family accepted only for the injured.

What happens next

Talks between the administration and the committee have so far failed to break the deadlock. The Monday gherao will be the first test of how far the agitation spreads beyond Mansa.

Why is Jhota's family refusing cremation?

Father Bhim Singh says the family will not cremate Parvinder Singh Jhota until its demands are met, including a CBI investigation and the resignation of the Chief Minister and the DGP.

What is the action committee planning on 19 October?

It plans to gherao the homes and offices of AAP ministers and MLAs across Punjab and paste letters of condemnation outside them.

Has anyone been arrested in the Jhota case?

Police have arrested the accused chemist Ashwani Kumar and his wife and suspended the Mansa City-2 SHO. The family says this is not enough and wants wider accountability.