CBI Takes Over Murder Probe of Punjab Anti-Drug Activist Parvinder Jhota

The Central Bureau of Investigation has formally registered a FIR and deployed investigators to Punjab to examine the murder of anti-drug campaigner Parvinder Singh Jhota. Jhota was gunned down in broad daylight inside a medical store in Mansa’s market on October 13 while broadcasting on Facebook Live, after he accused the proprietor of selling narcotics to an elderly customer. Police say the store owner, Ashwani Kumar, opened fire and was later apprehended in Salasar, Rajasthan.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann announced the handover to the CBI in response to the family’s demand, emphasizing the state’s resolve to eradicate drug trafficking before the upcoming elections. AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Harpal Singh Cheema welcomed the decision, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah lauded the step but criticized the state for not transferring two additional drug-related cases, urging a broader central investigation.