ਪਰਵਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਝੋਟਾਪਰਵਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਝੋਟਾ

Parvinder Singh, widely known as Jhota, a nickname meaning the bull, was an anti-drug activist from Mansa in Punjab's Malwa region. A former college boxer who had battled addiction himself, he became one of the best-known faces of the campaign against the illegal sale of addictive drugs at chemist shops in Mansa and Bathinda. He was shot dead in Mansa on October 13, 2026.

ਮੁੱਢਲਾ ਜੀਵਨ

Jhota grew up in Mansa, where his family lived on farming and a dairy trade on six to seven acres of land, The Indian Express reported. His father, Bhim Singh, is a retired Army serviceman. The Tribune reported that the family lived on Waterworks Road in Mansa.

According to his father, Jhota first took up non-medical studies at a college in Bathinda, then moved to Jalandhar after a year to follow his interest in sport. At Lyallpur Khalsa College he earned a reputation as a boxer, was known to friends as "Baba Boxer" and competed at the national level, The Tribune reported. Friends also remember him as a good cricketer, and some reports describe him as a former kabaddi player.

Struggle with addiction

Jhota began using drugs during his college years in Jalandhar, The Indian Express reported. Friends told The Tribune that he later overcame that phase and turned his own experience into a campaign against drug abuse, something he never tried to hide.

Anti-drug campaign

By mid-2023 Jhota had become one of the most recognisable anti-drug campaigners in Mansa and nearby districts. He confronted chemists and alleged drug sellers while live on social media, accusing them of selling banned capsules, pills or heroin to young people. The Hindu reported that, after seeking guidance from farmer union leaders, he launched the "Nasha Roko, Rozgaar Do" (Stop Drugs, Give Employment) campaign, and civilian "Nasha Roko Committees" sprang up in villages across Mansa and Bathinda. His work drew support from farmer organisations and religious figures, including Giani Harpreet Singh, then Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, The Indian Express reported.

His home in Mansa became a gathering point for groups of young men who shared the cause, and his livestreamed sting operations built him a substantial online following, The Indian Express reported. His methods also drew criticism from the police, who accused him of vigilantism and of taking the law into his own hands; a senior police officer defended his 2023 arrest on exactly that ground, the newspaper reported.

His methods were also controversial. In July 2023 Jhota and his supporters allegedly paraded a Mansa chemist, Ashwani Kumar, through the market with a garland of shoes around his neck, accusing him of selling banned drugs. An FIR was registered against the chemist on Jhota's complaint, while police also booked Jhota on charges including rioting and assault, and he was arrested. Talks between a joint anti-drug action committee and the state government in September 2023 ended in an agreement to release him. The Indian Express reported that an attempted murder charge was withdrawn after CCTV footage contradicted it, and that a Mansa court discharged him in an extortion case on September 11, 2023.

Death and aftermath

On October 13, 2026, Jhota was shot at a chemist shop in a busy Mansa market while livestreaming a confrontation with its owner over the alleged sale of drugs to an elderly man. He was declared brought dead at the Civil Hospital in Mansa, and four companions were injured. Police named the shop owner, Ashwani Kumar, the same man from the 2023 incident, as the accused, and he was arrested in Salasar, Rajasthan, the next day. The charges have yet to be tested in court.

The killing caused anger across Punjab, with protests, calls for a CBI probe and a Punjab bandh. Reports put his age at 42 or 45. He is survived by his parents, his wife and two sons.

Police said their preliminary investigation pointed to personal enmity as the motive, and that the dispute between the two men in 2023 was being examined as part of the investigation, The Hindu reported. Police said the shop owner had allegedly fired at Jhota with his licensed pistol.

In the week after the killing, his family and supporters kept up a protest in Mansa, and a joint action committee of organisations and activists pressed their demands. His father Bhim Singh and the family refused to perform the last rites until a central investigation was guaranteed, and farmers' and workers' organisations called a statewide Punjab bandh on October 15. On October 20, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced that the investigation would be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation, accepting the family's central demand.

Where was Parvinder Singh Jhota from?

He was from Mansa in Punjab's Malwa region, and studied at Lyallpur Khalsa College in Jalandhar.

What was Jhota known for?

He was known for confronting alleged drug sellers on livestreams and for the Nasha Roko, Rozgaar Do campaign, which inspired anti-drug committees in villages across Mansa and Bathinda.

How did Parvinder Singh Jhota die?

He was shot at a chemist shop in Mansa on October 13, 2026, while livestreaming. The shop owner, Ashwani Kumar, was arrested the next day and is accused of the killing. On October 20, 2026, the Punjab government announced that the investigation would be handed to the CBI.