Under Punjab’s ‘AAPda regime’, those raising voices against drug menace not safe, says Amit Shah; meets Parvinder Singh Jhota’s family

20 Oct 2026, 05:21 PM 4 min read

Under Punjab’s ‘AAPda regime’, those raising voices against drug menace not safe, says Amit Shah; meets Parvinder Singh Jhota’s family left Union Home Minister Amit Shah offers his condolences to Bhim Singh, the father of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, in Mansa on October 20, 2026. ANI ANI ANI Mansa [Punjab], Oct 20 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah offers his condolences to Bhim Singh, the father of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, who was shot dead, in Mansa on Tuesday.

BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu also present. (@RavneetBittu X/ANI Photo) Hours before the visit, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said his government has decided to hand over the Jhota murder case to the CBI Chandigarh Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Punjab on Tuesday (October 20, 2026) as part of his day-long visit to Gurdaspur, Sangrur and Mansa to meet the family members of those who died in incidents linked to the opposition to the drug menace in the State.

Political mercury rises in Punjab ahead of Amit Shah’s visit storyline 1 Amid his visit, Mr. Shah targeted the AAP government over the growing drug menace in Punjab, alleging that the rising audacity of drug traffickers has raised serious questions about the functioning of the Bhagwant Mann government. He further claimed that the youths under the ‘AAPda’ (disaster) government are falling prey to drugs, alleging that those raising voices are not safe.

Mr. Shah met with the family of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Punjab’s Mansa, who was murdered last week by a medical store owner. Hours before his visit, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced that the government has decided to transfer the murder case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Parvinder Singh Jhota murder probe to be handed over to CBI: Bhagwant Mann Parvinder Singh Jhota murder probe to be handed over to CBI: Bhagwant Mann Known for raising his voice against the 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 October 13 Parvinder Singh Jhota murder probe to be handed over to CBI: Bhagwant Mann storyline 1 Known for raising his voice against the 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 October 13.

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 Rajasthan’s Salasar. 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. Anti-drug activist murder: Diljit Dosanjh says Jhota's family should get justice Anti-drug activist murder: Diljit Dosanjh says Jhota's family should get justice Known for raising his voice against the illegal sale of addictive substances at chemist shops, Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot in broad daylight inside a medical store in a busy marketplace in Mansa on October 13 Anti-drug activist murder: Diljit Dosanjh says Jhota's family should get justice storyline 1 Seven days after Jhota’s murder, his post-mortem and cremation are yet to take place as his family members and supporters refuse to allow last rites until they get justice.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Shah’s chopper first landed in Gurdaspur’s Batala, from where he went to Mari Panwan village and met the family of 40-year-old Bikramjit Singh, who was killed on October 15. Villagers have claimed that Bikramjit was targeted for opposing drug peddling in his area, but police said the murder was the fallout of a scuffle between two groups over a mobile phone Why has a Punjab villager’s death triggered political uproar across the State?

| Explained Why has a Punjab villager’s death triggered political uproar across the State? | Explained With Punjab heading into Assembly elections, due in early 2027, mainstream political parties, including the Congress, SAD, and BJP are aggressively seizing on the issue Why has a Punjab villager’s death triggered political uproar across the State? | Explained storyline 1 In Sangrur, the Home Minister met the family of Gulzar Singh, who allegedly died by suicide last month after raising the issue of drug menace.

Gulzar, a resident of Turbanjara village in Sangrur district’s Durba, allegedly took his own life on September 7. His family claimed that he consumed poison after being harassed and subjected to casteist slurs for questioning Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema about the supply of drugs in his locality. Subsequently, the AAP government faced severe criticism from the opposition, which also sought a CBI probe into Gulzar’s death.