Hoshiarpur/Ludhiana, Oct 15: Streets and markets in Punjab wore a deserted look on Thursday as shops and private schools in several districts remained shut in view of a ‘bandh’ called over the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa.
Protesters also blocked several roads in response to the bandh call, prompting the authorities to divert traffic through alternative routes.
Jhota’s family had given the ‘Punjab Bandh’ call with support from the Congress, Akali Dal, BJP and Akali Dal Waris Punjab De, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and other farmer unions, and state government employee bodies.
Known for raising his voice against drug abuse and illegal sale of addictive substances at chemist shops, Jhota was shot in broad daylight inside a medical store at a busy marketplace in Mansa on Tuesday.
Ashwani Kumar, the store owner who opened fire on Jhota after he questioned him for selling addictive drugs to an elderly man, was taken into custody from Salasar in Rajasthan.
The incident, which took place while Jhota was hosting a Facebook Live, triggered a political slugfest in Punjab, which goes to polls early next year.
In response to the bandh call, shops and markets remained shut at several places on Thursday, including Hoshiarpur, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Sangrur, Barnala, Moga, Patiala and Mansa.
However, emergency services remained operational.
SHO suspended over activist’s murder
Two days after a medical store owner gunned down anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa, the authorities on Thursday suspended the woman SHO of City-2 police station in the Punjab town with immediate effect.
Mansa SSP Vaibhav Choudhary issued the suspension order for SHO Beant Kaur amid demands for action against certain police officers, including Kaur, by Jhota’s family members, who continued to decline to perform his last rites till justice is delivered. (PTI)