The protest planned outside Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s residence in Sangrur over the killing of anti-drug activist Parwinder Singh Jhota has been called off after the state government agreed to provide Rs 2 crore in compensation to his family and a government job to his wife.
The decision followed a four-hour meeting between a group of Punjab ministers and members of the Parvinder Singh Jhota Insaf Morcha, the panel leading the protests. The panel also agreed to allow Jhota’s postmortem at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh, subject to the fulfilment of its demands.
The protest in Mansa, however, will continue, according to the panel. The agreement does not end all the demonstrations linked to Jhota’s killing, but withdraws the planned action outside the chief minister’s residence in Sangrur.
Among the other commitments announced during the meeting was the release of Lakha Sidhana and Mohanjit Singh Sheron, who were in jail in connection with protests over the killing. Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian also said that first information reports registered against people for protesting the killing would be withdrawn.
The ministers wanted Jhota’s family to agree to his postmortem and cremation. The panel, however, insisted that the arrested men be released and that the cases registered against protesters be cancelled before the family gave its consent. It was agreed that the police would approach the court for cancellation of the cases.
Jhota was killed in Punjab’s Mansa on October 13, according to the report. His death has triggered renewed protests and a public debate over the drug problem in the state, as well as demands for action and accountability from the government.
Sandhwan described the loss suffered by Jhota’s family as “irreparable” and said the government had decided to accept certain demands. Jhota’s father, Bhim Singh, thanked Sandhwan and Khudian for agreeing to the family’s demands.
The next formal steps are the proposed release of the two arrested men, the police’s application to the court for cancellation of the cases, and the postmortem at PGIMER after the agreed conditions are met.
