Amit Shah Visits Punjab Today to Meet Families of Anti-Drug Activists

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is visiting Punjab on Tuesday, 20 October, to meet the families of three men who had spoken out against drug trafficking, including Mansa activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, who was shot dead on 13 October, according to his official tour programme released on Monday. Shah will travel to Mansa, Sangrur and Gurdaspur districts before addressing the media in Ludhiana and joining Vijayadashami celebrations there, where a symbolic “Ravana of drugs” is to be burnt, The Statesman and The Tribune reported.

Three Districts, Three Families

Shah is scheduled to meet Jhota’s family in Mansa, the family of Gulzar Singh in Toor Banjara village in Sangrur, and the family of Bikramjit (also spelt Vikramjit) Singh in Mari Panwan village in Gurdaspur. Reports carry two different running orders for the day, so the exact timings may change. The evening programme is at the Ramleela Ground on Daresi Road in Ludhiana, with a media address planned before it.

A Killing Streamed Live in Mansa

Jhota was shot at a medical store in Mansa after a confrontation over the alleged sale of banned drugs, and the incident was streamed live on his Facebook page, The Tribune reported. Police have arrested four people and recovered the pistol allegedly used. His family has refused a post-mortem until its demands, including a CBI probe, are met. The Union Home Ministry had earlier sought a report from Punjab on the killing, as IPB reported earlier. The visit is Shah’s second to Punjab in a month, amid sharp exchanges between the BJP and the AAP state government over drug control (see earlier political reactions).

Family Welcomes Visit as Protest Committee Softens

An action committee leading the protest in Mansa had announced it would boycott the visit, but on Monday it agreed to let the family meet Shah if they wished. Jhota’s father, Bhim Singh, said, “If anyone protests against Shah’s visit, I will take it as a protest against me.” He said he would repeat his demand for a CBI investigation. Whether the Centre agrees to a central probe is the key question to watch after the meetings.

Source: Amit Shah’s official tour programme, as reported by The Statesman. Also based on reporting by The Tribune and The Statesman.

Image: Wikimedia Commons.