The Central Bureau of Investigation has widened its probe into the October 13 murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota by inspecting three pharmacies in Mansa for suspected sales of habit-forming drugs, according to officials cited in the report. The agency is also examining whether the shops were connected to concerns Jhota had raised before his death.
A CBI source said Jhota had spoken out against the three pharmacies, prompting investigators to assess the scale of the suspected sale of habit-forming medicines in the town. The inspections took place on Saturday as the agency expanded its inquiry beyond the killing itself and examined the wider drug-supply environment in Mansa.
One of the pharmacies had been sealed by the Punjab Food and Drug Administration during a crackdown that followed Jhota’s murder. CBI officials broke the seal to enter and inspect the premises. The report did not specify what material, if any, was recovered during the search or whether the pharmacy’s operators had been questioned.
Another pharmacy in Veer Nagar was searched for the second time in three days. The third establishment inspected by the agency was located near the Mansa bus stand. The locations place the searches across different parts of the town, including a busy transport-linked area, but the CBI has not publicly detailed the findings from the inspections in the supplied report.
The investigation has also included the demolished shop of Ashwani Kumar, who is identified in the report as an accused in the Jhota murder case. CBI officials earlier inspected the site and checked its measurements. The agency has not disclosed how the examination of the demolished premises connects to the pharmacy inspections.
The development comes amid continuing demands from Jhota’s family for wider administrative action. His father, Bhim Singh, said the suspension of the Mansa deputy superintendent of police, station house officer and drug inspector was insufficient. He demanded action against the district’s senior superintendent of police and sought the SSP’s transfer out of Mansa.
Bhim Singh also said the SSP should not participate in a meeting between a government-appointed panel and the committee leading protests over Jhota’s killing. He said he and Jhota’s wife, Manpreet Kaur, would stay away from the meeting if the SSP attended.
The CBI’s pharmacy inspections and the family’s demand for further administrative action are now part of the broader response to Jhota’s killing. The agency’s next steps and any findings from the searches will determine whether the inquiry establishes a wider network involving the suspected sale of habit-forming drugs in Mansa.
