# Punjab anti-drug activist shot dead in broad daylight

> Parvinder Singh Jhota, known for exposing illegal drug sales at chemist shops, was killed by a medical store owner in Mansa district on October 13, 2026.
- Title: Punjab anti-drug activist shot dead in broad daylight
- Summary: Parvinder Singh Jhota, known for exposing illegal drug sales at chemist shops, was killed by a medical store owner in Mansa district on October 13, 2026…
- Keywords: parvinder singh jhota, mansa district, punjab, anti-drug activism, nasha roko rozgaar do, ashwani kumar, cbi investigation, drug trafficking, news, politics, anti-drug, activist
- Source: The Hindu — https://thehindu.com/news/national/punjab/parvinder-singh-jhota-anti-drug-activist-killed-punjab/article71606765.ece
- Author: Divya P _12570
- Published: 2026-10-21T08:25:05+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: parvinder singh jhota, mansa district, punjab, anti-drug activism, nasha roko rozgaar do, ashwani kumar, cbi investigation, drug trafficking, news, politics
## Anti-drug activist shot in Mansa
Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot dead on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, inside a medical store at a busy marketplace in Mansa district, Punjab, in broad daylight.
## Who was Parvinder Singh Jhota
A former State-level boxer nicknamed Jhota, meaning bull, he quit using chitta, a heroin-based opioid, in twenty fifteen after a friend died from an overdose in front of him.
## Nasha Roko campaign launched
Jhota started the Nasha Roko, Rozgaar Do campaign with Punjab Kisan Union leader Sukhdarshan Singh, raiding chemist shops and homes suspected of selling illicit drugs.
## Movement spreads across villages
His popularity grew and civilian Nasha Roko Committees sprang up in villages across Mansa and Bathinda, carrying out similar searches and raids on suspected drug outlets.
## Why Jhota was killed
Jhota was questioning medical store owner Ashwani Kumar over the sale of certain drugs to a man and recording the argument on his mobile phone when he was shot.
## Personal enmity cited as motive
Police said preliminary investigation points to personal enmity as the motive. A previous dispute between Jhota and Kumar occurred in July twenty twenty-three, when Jhota allegedly garlanded the chemist with shoes.

> Preliminary investigation indicates that the murder stemmed from personal enmity.
## CBI takes over investigation
The CBI registered a case and took over the investigation on October twenty, twenty twenty-six. The Aam Aadmi Party government announced the CBI probe hours before Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Punjab.
## Family refuses last rites
Jhota's family members and supporters are protesting in Mansa and have refused to allow last rites until justice is delivered. Post-mortem and cremation are yet to take place.
## Key takeaway

Parvinder Singh Jhota, a prominent anti-drug activist in Punjab, was shot dead by a medical store owner in Mansa on October 13, 2026, after questioning him over illicit drug sales.