World · India Bureau
Anti-narcotics activist shot dead in Punjab's Mansa district
Parvinder Singh, a known anti-drug campaigner in Mansa, was fatally shot while confronting a pharmacy owner over alleged illegal drug sales. The broad daylight killing has triggered demands for a swift investigation.
LSN India ·
A prominent anti-narcotics activist was gunned down in Punjab's Mansa district on Tuesday, drawing sharp reactions from civil society groups and local leaders. Parvinder Singh, popularly known as Jhota, was shot while engaged in a heated confrontation with a medical store operator whom he accused of illegally dispensing controlled substances.
According to eyewitness accounts, Singh was documenting the exchange on his mobile phone when the gunfire erupted. The activist had approached the pharmacy owner to question the sale of certain drugs to an individual, in what appears to have been part of his ongoing anti-drug awareness initiative in the region.
The incident marks a significant escalation in threats faced by anti-drug campaigners operating in Punjab, a state grappling with rising substance abuse and organized crime networks. Authorities have registered a case and launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Singh's death.
Local organizations have called for intensified efforts to identify and apprehend those responsible, while also urging enhanced security measures for activists engaged in similar campaigns. The killing has reignited concerns about vigilantism and the rule of law in tackling the drug menace across the state.