New Delhi, Oct 13 (IANS) The BJP on Tuesday accused the Punjab government of failing to act against the drug mafia and targeting whistleblowers who expose drug-related activities, following the killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa.
Speaking to IANS, BJP MP Tarun Chugh alleged that people speaking out against drugs in Punjab were facing action from the police and the mafia.
“In Punjab, whistleblowers who speak out against drugs are facing action, sometimes from the police and sometimes from the mafia. The entire Punjab government is acting against whistleblowers at the mafia’s behest. The government should act against drug sellers based on information provided by whistleblowers,” Chugh said.
He added that Jhota’s father had publicly alleged that his son was murdered at the behest of Aam Aadmi Party MLA Singla.
“The matter must be investigated, and the mafia leaders responsible for damaging Punjab’s environment must be arrested,” Chugh said.
Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa also accused the state government of being under the influence of the drug mafia, alleging that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia were receiving large sums of money from it.
“As we have repeatedly said, the drug mafia is running the Punjab government. It appears that Bhagwant Mann, Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia are receiving large sums of money from the drug mafia,” Sirsa said.
He alleged that Jhota had previously been picked up and tortured by the Punjab Police for speaking out against drugs.
“Imagine this, such incidents were earlier heard of in countries like the United States and Colombia, where people who spoke against drugs were killed. Punjab has now become the same kind of state, where the police torture and imprison those who speak out against drugs, and now an anti-drug activist fighting against the menace has been murdered,” he said.
Jhota was shot dead on Tuesday by a medical store owner after allegedly confronting him over the sale of drugs in Mansa.
The activist was known for exposing the alleged illegal sale of addictive drugs at chemist shops. During a live session on his Facebook account, he was seen questioning a chemist outside his shop over the alleged sale of drugs.
In a video lasting around five minutes, Jhota was seen standing alongside an elderly man who claimed to have purchased drugs from the shop. A heated argument subsequently broke out between Jhota and the shop owner, who was seen holding a pistol in the video.
–IANS
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