SGPC to Hang Jhota's Portrait in Golden Temple Museum; Family Declines Aid for Sonsਐੱਸਜੀਪੀਸੀ ਝੋਟਾ ਦੀ ਤਸਵੀਰ ਸਿੱਖ ਅਜਾਇਬ ਘਰ 'ਚ ਲਗਾਏਗੀ; ਪਰਿਵਾਰ ਨੇ ਪੁੱਤਰਾਂ ਲਈ ਮਦਦ ਠੁਕਰਾਈ

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) said on Saturday, October 17, 2026, that it will install a portrait of slain anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota at the Central Sikh Museum inside the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. His family, meanwhile, turned down the offer of fixed deposits for his two young sons, and the standoff over his body in Mansa entered its fifth day.

What did the SGPC announce in Mansa?

SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami met Jhota's father, Bhim Singh, in Mansa a day after acting Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj described Jhota as a martyr, The New Indian Express and The Tribune reported. Dhami, accompanied by the Takht Sri Damdama Sahib Jathedar Giani Tek Singh according to the Times of India, said the portrait would stand as a mark of remembrance for Jhota's fight against drugs.

He also announced Rs 5 lakh for each of the four people injured along with Jhota. Of that, Rs 2.5 lakh per person is meant for treatment and Rs 2.5 lakh is financial help. Dhami asked whether the injured should be shifted to an SGPC-run hospital. The state government has already promised free treatment and free accommodation for their families at the hospitals.

Why did the family decline the offer for Jhota's sons?

Dhami offered fixed deposits of Rs 10 lakh each in the names of Jhota's sons, aged about nine and six, if the family agreed, and also offered to look after the boys' upbringing. Bhim Singh declined. He said he had asked for help only for the injured and that, by God's grace, the family could manage. He added that representatives of Baru Sahib had already said they would bear the children's education costs, according to the three reports.

Bhim Singh is an ex-serviceman and pensioner, and Jhota's wife is a teacher. The family also runs a dairy and owns property and agricultural land, the reports said.

What is the situation on the ground in Mansa?

Four days after the shooting, the post-mortem examination has not been carried out. Jhota's body remains in the civil hospital mortuary, where a parallel sit-in is under way so that police or the administration do not cremate it forcibly. The main protest continues at Tinkoni, near the Deputy Commissioner's residence on the Barnala-Sirsa road.

The joint action committee has not softened its demands: the resignation of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and DGP Gaurav Yadav, a CBI inquiry, the dismissal of the district drug inspector, the SSP, the DSP and the SHO concerned, FIRs against officials found at fault, compensation for the injured, and a post-mortem by a panel of PGIMER doctors. The Times of India quoted Bhim Singh as saying his son's body will not be cremated until justice is delivered.

So far, City-2 police station SHO Inspector Beant Kaur has been suspended, and the district administration has cancelled the arms licence of chemist Ashwani Kumar, the main accused in the case.

What else happened around the protest on Saturday?

Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon visited the protest site, repeated the demand for a CBI probe and appealed to people to wear black turbans and carry black flags until justice is delivered, The New Indian Express reported. He alleged the AAP government had failed to curb drugs; the party has not been quoted in these reports responding to that charge.

Jhota was allegedly shot dead by a chemist at his shop in Mansa on Tuesday, October 13, after a dispute linked to the sale of drugs. The attack was caught on a Facebook Live broadcast, and four others, including a passerby, were wounded. These are allegations in a case under investigation.

What will the SGPC do for Jhota's family and the injured?

The SGPC will place Jhota's portrait in the Central Sikh Museum in the Golden Temple complex and give Rs 5 lakh each to the four injured, half for treatment and half as financial help.

Why has Jhota's body not been cremated?

His family and the action committee say there will be no cremation until their demands, including a CBI probe and the resignation of the chief minister and DGP, are met.

Did the family accept the SGPC's offer of fixed deposits?

No. Bhim Singh declined the Rs 10 lakh fixed deposits for the two boys, saying the family had asked for help only for the injured.