Mansa:- Manpreet Kaur, wife of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, said on Thursday evening that, following a meeting with the Action Committee, it had been agreed that the family would not give consent for the postmortem until all its demands were accepted. The family maintained that its demands must be met first, after which a decision on the postmortem would be taken.
Earlier in the day, Bhim Singh had said that the Sikh Panth had advised the family to get its demands accepted first and only then give consent for the postmortem. The protest seeking justice for Jhota’s murder entered its 10th day on Thursday. The demonstrations are being held at Trikoni near the Deputy Commissioner’s residence and at the Civil Hospital, where Jhota’s body remains in the mortuary.
Bhim Singh said the family did not want the body to remain in the hospital mortuary but insisted that its demands be met first. He said any decision would be conveyed to the protesters through the Action Committee and taken only with the approval of the entire ‘Sangat’. He claimed, “Once a decision is made, either I or Manpreet Kaur will address the protesters.” He reiterated that the family would cooperate with the CBI investigation.
The family’s key demands include the resignations of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the Punjab DGP; a postmortem conducted by a panel of senior doctors from PGI Chandigarh; and a CBI investigation into the murder as well as the alleged nexus between drug smugglers, police personnel and political representatives. The CBI investigation has already begun.
Other demands include installing a statue of Jhota, dismissing two SHOs, a DSP and a drug inspector in Mansa, and establishing a trauma centre in Jhota’s name in Khiala Kalan village. It is worth noting that the DSP, the drug inspector and one SHO have already been suspended.
The family has also demanded that the accused be tried in a fast-track court and given strict punishment. In addition, it has sought government-funded treatment at a leading medical institution for the four people injured in the shooting and immediate compensation of ₹20 lakh for each injured person.
The third round of talks between the state government’s panel, the victim’s family and the Action Committee was scheduled for this morning but had not taken place by evening. Sources said the family and the committee had refused to attend the meeting because the previous two rounds of talks, including Wednesday evening’s meeting, had ended without any outcome.
