CHANDIGARH: The family of slain anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota has agreed to his postmortem and cremation after a meeting with Punjab government representatives in Mansa, ending a 22-day agitation.
The breakthrough came on Wednesday (November 04) evening after a five-hour meeting between the family, the joint action committee and Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian.
Under the agreement, the government will move for the release of protesters, including Lakha Sidhana, following withdrawal of the cases against them. It has assured Rs 2 crore compensation to Jhota's family and a job to his wife, and Rs 50 lakh compensation and a job to a family member of Daljit Singh of Bhamme Kalan, who died on October 27. The action committee said it would suspend its proposed gherao of the chief minister's residence.
Sandhwan, Vidhaan Sabha speaker said that the family has agreed to do the post- mortem and cremation on or before Novemeber 06. He also stated that the state government had already recommended a CBI probe into the murder and they are investigating the case.
Jhota was shot dead in daylight inside a medical store in a Mansa marketplace on October 13 while hosting a Facebook Live session. His body has been at the Civil Hospital mortuary since; the postmortem is expected at PGIMER, Chandigarh. The store owner, Ashwani Kumar, was arrested in Salasar, Rajasthan.
The CBI is probing the killing, and an SHO, a deputy superintendent of police and a drug inspector have been suspended.
(With inputs from PTI and media reports)