Punjab Hands Jhota Murder Probe to CBI Hours Before Amit Shah's Mansa Visitਪੰਜਾਬ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਝੋਟਾ ਕਤਲ ਕੇਸ ਸੀਬੀਆਈ ਨੂੰ ਸੌਂਪਣ ਦਾ ਐਲਾਨ, ਸ਼ਾਹ ਦੇ ਮਾਨਸਾ ਦੌਰੇ ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced on Tuesday morning that his government will hand over the investigation into the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh, known as Jhota, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), conceding the main demand of the family and the protest committee.

The announcement came a few hours before Union Home Minister Amit Shah was due to meet Jhota's family in Mansa, according to Hindustan Times.

What did Bhagwant Mann say?

In a post in Punjabi on X, quoted by India Today and Hindustan Times, Mann said: "We stand firmly with the father of Parvinder Singh Jhota and his family. Accepting the demand of the family, we are handing over this case to the CBI." He added that the fight against drug peddlers would be all-out and the government would not back down from any drastic step needed to make Punjab drug-free.

Why had the family demanded a CBI probe?

Jhota was shot dead inside a medical store in a busy Mansa market on October 13 while broadcasting on Facebook Live. Police say store owner Ashwani Kumar opened fire after Jhota questioned him about selling drugs to an elderly man; Kumar was arrested from Salasar in Rajasthan. The allegation against him is part of the police case.

Jhota's father Bhim Singh, an ex-serviceman, had said the family would not allow a post-mortem or cremation until a CBI probe was granted. A week on, the body remained uncremated, and a joint action committee, the Insaaf Committee, had kept up protests in Mansa. Protesters had also sought the resignations of Mann and the state police chief and the removal of the Mansa SSP, DSP, SHO and a drug inspector.

What happened before the announcement?

On Monday the state named a three-member panel of women IAS officers to talk to the family and the committee. The first meeting was inconclusive, The Times of India reported, and Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema had said Punjab Police was investigating and the accused had been arrested.

What is Amit Shah's schedule on Tuesday?

Shah is due to meet Jhota's family in Mansa at 3.45 pm, then visit Dirba in Sangrur and Mari Panwan village in Batala, Gurdaspur, to meet the families of two others whose deaths were linked to confrontations over drugs. He is also to attend Dussehra celebrations in Ludhiana, where a "chitta" effigy is to be burnt, as per the Tribune and HT.

What happens next?

The state government's order and the CBI's formal takeover will be the next steps; neither had been reported at the time of writing. It is not yet clear whether the family will now allow the cremation.

Who was Parvinder Singh Jhota?

Jhota was an anti-drug activist from Mansa known for speaking out against the illegal sale of habit-forming pharmaceutical drugs at chemist shops.

Will the CBI now investigate Jhota's murder?

Chief Minister Mann has said the state is handing the case to the CBI. Formal notification and CBI acceptance were still awaited at the time of writing.

Has the family ended its protest?

No report so far says so. The family had linked cremation to the CBI probe, and it is unclear whether the announcement satisfies them.