The house of Ashwani Kumar, the medical store owner arrested for shooting dead anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Punjab's Mansa, has been demolished, in the latest development in the case.
Kumar was arrested by police on Wednesday from Salasar in Rajasthan. He is accused of shooting Jhota during a confrontation over the alleged illegal sale of addictive drugs at his medical store in Mansa.
Amid heightened tensions in Mansa, a crowd set fire to the shop of Ashwani Kumar.
Speaking to ANI, Mansa Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vaibhav Choudhary said police personnel had been deployed to maintain law and order as the administration took action over alleged illegal construction.
"We are here to maintain law and order. Action is being taken by the administration here. We had received an intimation regarding the same, so we have come here with the force to maintain law and order. There was input regarding illegal construction, and action is being taken in connection with that," Choudhary said.
Jhota, who had been raising his voice against drug abuse and the alleged illegal sale of addictive substances at chemist shops, had confronted Kumar along with his supporters after questioning him about the sale of certain drugs to a man.
The confrontation was captured on video. In a clip lasting five minutes and 49 seconds that later surfaced online, Jhota could be heard saying that the medical store owner had pulled out his pistol. He was also heard challenging Kumar to open fire before the latter allegedly shot at him.
In another video, Kumar was seen emerging from the shop with a weapon and chasing Jhota, who was running for cover. Jhota was later found lying in a nearby shop, soaked in blood. He was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead, police said.
The killing triggered widespread outrage and drew sharp criticism of the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over law and order and its anti-drug campaign, 'Yudh Nashian Virudh'.
OPPOSITION TARGETS AAP GOVERNMENT
Congress leader Amarinder Singh Raja Warring condemned Jhota's killing, calling it a consequence of the government's failure to maintain law and order and implement its anti-drug campaign effectively.
Warring said Jhota had stood up against Punjab's drug menace but had not received support from the AAP government. He added that the activist's murder in broad daylight exposed serious failures of the state administration.
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal also expressed shock over the killing, saying it highlighted the deteriorating law-and-order situation in Punjab. He called the AAP government's 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' campaign a "gimmick" and accused the administration of neglecting the state's drug problem.
Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia questioned the government's response to the killing and said people raising their voices against drugs were not being protected.
Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon also attacked the AAP government, describing the incident as evidence of what he called "jungle raj" in the state.
AAP leader Baltej Pannu condemned the murder and assured strict action against those responsible, saying no one was permitted to take the law into their own hands.
The killing has intensified the political debate over drug abuse and law and order in Punjab, where the issue remains a major concern ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
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With ANI inputs