Akali Dal Asks Governor to Dismiss Mann, Wants CBI Probe Widened to Two More Drug Killingsਅਕਾਲੀ ਦਲ ਨੇ ਰਾਜਪਾਲ ਤੋਂ ਮਾਨ ਨੂੰ ਬਰਖ਼ਾਸਤ ਕਰਨ ਦੀ ਮੰਗ ਕੀਤੀ, ਦੋ ਹੋਰ ਕਤਲਾਂ ਦੀ ਸੀਬੀਆਈ ਜਾਂਚ ਵਧਾਉਣ ਦੀ ਵੀ ਮੰਗ

The political fight over the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota reached Raj Bhavan on Friday. A Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) delegation led by party president Sukhbir Singh Badal met Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria in Chandigarh and submitted a memorandum asking him to dismiss Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The party accused the Chief Minister and other ministers and officials of patronising the drug trade, charges the SAD made in its memorandum and in Badal's remarks after the meeting. These are the opposition party's allegations; the state government had not responded to the memorandum in the reports reviewed.

What the memorandum demands

According to IANS, the delegation urged the Governor to grant compensation of Rs 2 crore to Jhota's family and a Class 1 gazetted government job to his widow, Manpreet Kaur, who is a teacher. The party clarified that the family and the action committee supporting it had not asked for this assistance, but said the state should look after the family on humanitarian grounds, describing Jhota's family as a family of Punjab. The memorandum also sought action against all ministers, legislators and civil and police officials accused by the party of patronising the drug trade, and against those it accused of issuing arms licences to drug offenders.

Call to widen the CBI probe

The delegation asked that the ongoing CBI investigation into Jhota's murder be expanded to cover two more cases. The first is that of Gulzar Singh of Toor Banjara village in Dirba, who, the party said, named Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema in his dying declaration. The second is the killing of Bikramjit Singh of Sri Hargobindpur Sahib, who, the party said, was hacked to death for opposing the drug mafia. Badal said these steps were needed to restore public confidence at a time when Punjab is battling drugs. He also cited the statement Jhota's father, Bhim Singh, gave to the police, in which, according to Badal, he described how his son fell victim to a politician and police nexus behind the drug trade.

The politics around the Jhota case

Jhota was shot dead inside a chemist shop in Mansa district on October 13 while livestreaming, and his killing has become the central law and order issue in Punjab politics this month. The CBI has registered an FIR and taken over the investigation, a Punjab Assembly session this week saw Congress MLAs storm the well demanding Mann's resignation over the murder, and Jhota's family has refused to allow the post-mortem and funeral until the Chief Minister and the DGP resign. The SAD memorandum adds the Governor's office to the list of forums where the case is now being fought. A Governor cannot ordinarily dismiss a chief minister who commands a majority, so the memorandum is a political escalation rather than a step that by itself changes the government.

What happens next

The memorandum now sits with the Governor's office. Any response from Raj Bhavan, and any reply from the AAP government to the SAD's charges, will shape the next round of this argument. The CBI probe into Jhota's murder continues separately, and the question of whether it is widened to the two cases the SAD named rests with the investigating agency and the courts, not with the Governor.

What did the Akali Dal ask the Governor to do?

A SAD delegation led by Sukhbir Singh Badal asked Governor Gulab Chand Kataria to dismiss Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, whom the party accused of patronising the drug trade.

What did the party seek for Jhota's family?

Rs 2 crore compensation and a Class 1 gazetted job for his widow Manpreet Kaur, while clarifying that the family had not asked for the assistance.

Which other cases does SAD want in the CBI probe?

The killing of Gulzar Singh of Toor Banjara in Dirba, who the party says named Finance Minister Harpal Cheema in a dying declaration, and the killing of Bikramjit Singh of Sri Hargobindpur Sahib.

Can the Governor dismiss the Chief Minister?

Not ordinarily while the Chief Minister commands a majority in the Assembly. The memorandum is a political escalation; the government had not responded in the reports reviewed.