Punjab Activist Shot Dead by Medical Shop Owner Who is Selling Drugs

CHANDIGARH: An anti-drug activist was on Tuesday shot dead by a medical store owner after he confronted him for allegedly selling drugs in Punjab’s Mansa. The activist, Parvinder Singh Jhota, who was known for exposing the illegal sale of addictive drugs at chemist shops, was seen questioning the chemist outside his store for “selling drugs” during a live session on his Facebook account.

In a five-minute video, Jhota was seen standing alongside an elderly man, claiming that he had bought drugs from the shop. A heated argument then broke out between Jhota and the shop owner, who was seen holding a pistol in the video.

“Maar mujhe, maar mujhe (kill me, kill me),” he kept telling the owner. “Why have you kept a pistol,” he asks the owner. He was also heard telling his associates to call the police and gather more men. In the video, Jhota can be heard asking the shopkeeper to show the CCTV footage. The shopkeeper then asked the elderly man whether he took ‘drugs’ from him, to which Jhota responds, “Yes, we have the recording”.

The argument continued for around four minutes before the shopkeeper opened fire, killing Jhota. Jhota’s mobile phone then fell to the ground, ending the live recording. The shop owner is on the run. Jhota had been active in Mansa and nearby areas for several years, raising his voice against drug abuse and alleged illegal sales of intoxicating substances through certain medical stores.