Parwinder Jhota Murder Case: SIT Concedes to 12 of 14 Demands

Mansa/Chandigarh:

In a major breakthrough surrounding the high-profile murder of anti-drug activist Parwinder Singh Jhota, a crucial meeting between the Action Committee and the Special Investigation Team (SIT) led to an agreement on 12 out of 14 key demands raised by the victim's family. Except for the demands seeking the resignations of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the Punjab DGP, the state administration accepted the remaining conditions.

Written Assurance from SIT; Post-Mortem Decision Imminent

The SIT formally handed over a written confirmation detailing the accepted demands to the Action Committee. Following this, the Action Committee convened an internal meeting to deliberate on the government's official response. A decisive call regarding conducting the post-mortem and shifting the body to PGI Chandigarh is expected shortly. Jhota's body had remained without an autopsy for the 10th consecutive day, as his wife, Manpreet Kaur, had firmly maintained that cremation would not take place until their core grievances were addressed in writing.

CBI Remand & Extensive Search Operations

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) produced the prime accused, Ashwini Kumar, before the Mohali CBI Court, securing a 5-day remand for custodial interrogation. Ahead of the court appearance, multiple CBI teams carried out an extensive eight-hour search operation at the residences of Ashwini Kumar and his associate Vipin Kumar. The federal agency also scrutinized Mansa Medical Hall located on Shamshan Ghat Road and questioned adjacent shopkeepers. Concurrently, the court remanded four co-accused in the murder case to judicial custody until November 5.

Pharmacy Council Revokes License

Taking swift administrative action, the Punjab State Pharmacy Council permanently revoked Ashwini Kumar’s pharmacist registration. Acting on the executive committee’s resolution, the Registrar struck his name off the official register. According to council records, Ashwini was registered on July 10, 2020 (Registration No. 51464). The cancellation order took effect from October 20, permanently barring him from practicing or dispensing pharmaceuticals in the state.