In a notable development, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has declared that the investigation into the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh, commonly known as Jhota, will be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). This announcement comes seven days after Jhota was shot and killed inside a medical store in Mansa, an incident that was horrifyingly livestreamed on social media.

The decision followed explicit demands from Jhota’s family, particularly his father, Bhim Singh, a retired military veteran. On October 13, Singh had stated that the family would refuse to conduct Jhota’s last rites or permit a post-mortem until the case was referred to the CBI.

The announcement from the Punjab government comes ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to meet Jhota’s family and the families of two other slain anti-drug activists. Shah’s interactions were aimed at addressing rising concerns over drug trafficking and the overall law and order situation in Punjab.

Shah’s Commitment to Combat Drug Violence

During his visit, Amit Shah offered condolences to the family of another victim, Bikramjit Singh, in Gurdaspur, and also met Gulzar Singh’s family, another individual who was murdered for standing up against local drug dealers. Shah emphasized the severity of the situation, indicating that the realities shared by the families of victims were far worse than reported in official documents.

In his statements, Shah assured that the CBI would pursue those responsible for the murders regardless of their influence. He remarked:

“This morning, upon returning after celebrating his birthday, Bhagwant Mann Ji did one good thing—he handed over one inquiry to the CBI. I want to give my word to the people of Punjab: in the case handed over to us, whoever is found guilty—no matter how powerful or big they are—we will track them down and hand them over to the law.”

A Call for Broader Investigations

Following the CBI case transfer, Shah urged the Chief Minister to consider handing over additional cases related to drug violence to the agency, echoing the demands from victim families.

“And today, I also want to appeal to the Chief Minister: you will not be able to handle it. Hand over the remaining two cases to the CBI as well. That is also the demand of their family members,” he added.

Target for Eradicating Drug Networks

Shah set an ambitious deadline of December 31, 2029, for the complete eradication of illicit narcotics networks from Punjab, affirming the Centre’s commitment to track down and prosecute all involved in the murders of anti-drug activists in the state.