Punjab bandh over activist murder disrupts life; markets shut

• Punjab bandh disrupts normal life in several districts following the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota.

• Protesters accuse the AAP government of failing to curb drug abuse and demand resignations of senior officials.

• Road blockades disrupt bus services, while emergency services remain operational and police maintain heightened security.

Markets and streets wore a deserted look across several parts of Punjab on Thursday, 15 October as shops and private schools remained shut during a statewide bandh called over the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa. Protesters blocked roads at several locations, forcing authorities to divert traffic through alternative routes.

Jhota’s family called the ‘Punjab Bandh’ with support from the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal, BJP, Akali Dal Waris Punjab De, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, other farmers’ unions and state government employee bodies.

Jhota, known for campaigning against drug abuse and the illegal sale of addictive substances at chemist shops, was shot dead in broad daylight inside a medical store in a busy Mansa marketplace on Tuesday. The incident occurred while he was hosting a Facebook Live session.

Ashwani Kumar, the store owner who allegedly opened fire on Jhota after he questioned him over the sale of addictive drugs to an elderly man, was taken into custody from Salasar in Rajasthan.

The killing has triggered a political confrontation in Punjab, which is scheduled to go to the polls early next year. On Wednesday, chief minister Bhagwant Mann vowed the strictest punishment for the accused, while opposition leaders alleged that law and order had collapsed in the state, describing the situation as “jungle raj”.

In response to Thursday’s bandh call, shops and markets remained shut in several places, including Hoshiarpur, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Sangrur, Barnala, Moga, Patiala and Mansa. Emergency services, however, continued to operate.

Some toll plazas, including those in Ludhiana and Patiala, waived fees for commuters in support of the bandh. Several private schools in Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Moga and Mansa declared a holiday, while various farmers’ organisations backed the shutdown.

In Amritsar, the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee staged a demonstration against the Aam Aadmi Party government. Led by Sarwan Singh Pandher, the protesters accused the Bhagwant Mann government of failing to curb the drug menace and burnt an effigy of the chief minister at the Golden Gate.

Pandher demanded that Mann and Punjab Police director-general Gaurav Yadav resign on moral grounds.

In Hoshiarpur, markets remained largely deserted, but hospitals, chemist shops and other essential services continued to function. Almost all private schools remained closed, while Rayat Bahra University also shut for the day.

Members of Akali Dal Waris Punjab De, along with various Dalit organisations, took out a protest march from Gurdwara Singh Sabha to the main marketplace in Hoshiarpur. The march was led by Karnail Singh Lovely and Mandeep Singh, along with Vikas Hans of the Valmiki Dharam Raksha Samiti, among others.

Speaking to the media, Lovely said Jhota had been killed for raising his voice against drug abuse and trying to save Punjab’s youth from addiction. He blamed the prevailing system and successive governments for failing to tackle the problem, alleging that those who spoke out against drugs were being targeted.

Insisting that the anti-drug movement would not be silenced by the death of one activist, Lovely questioned the AAP government’s claims of having eliminated the drug menace. He urged journalists to visit villages to assess the extent of the problem.

Protests and road blockades were also reported at Bijli Ghar Chowk in Tanda, the Hajipur crossing in Dasuya and Civil Hospital Chowk in Mukerian.

Raminder Singh, president of the Punjab Roadways, PUNBUS and PRTC Contract Workers Union, said road blockades had disrupted bus services on several routes. “Buses have not been stopped, but they halted wherever roads were blocked,” he said, adding that services on the Jalandhar-Dasuya-Mukerian-Tanda and Chandigarh routes had been affected.

Police personnel were deployed in large numbers across districts to prevent any untoward incidents, officials said.

In Mohali, protesters blocked roads near Sohana Chowk and the Phase 7 roundabout, while a section of a highway in Kharar was also blocked.

Amritsar Police commissioner Harmanbir Singh Gill said the situation remained peaceful and that the police were keeping a close watch.

In Ludhiana district, shops and commercial establishments remained shut in Jagraon, Khanna, Mullanpur Dakha and Raikot. The bandh, however, had only partial impact in Ludhiana city, where major markets in the old city remained open. Some shops in the Ghumar Mandi and Model Town markets remained closed.

Phagwara witnessed a complete shutdown, with shops and educational institutions remaining closed.

Earlier, Jhota’s father Bhim Singh, an ex-serviceman, had appealed to people to support the bandh.

A joint action committee comprising various organisations and social activists was formed after Jhota’s murder. The committee has demanded the resignations of chief minister Mann and DGP Yadav, along with the dismissal of the Mansa senior superintendent of police, deputy superintendent of police, station house officer and drug inspector. It has also called for a CBI probe into the killing.

With PTI inputs