The family of slain anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota on Wednesday agreed to his postmortem and cremation after the Punjab government assured Rs 2 crore in compensation, a government job for his wife and the release of protesters, bringing an end to a 22-day-long agitation over his killing.
The breakthrough came after nearly five hours of negotiations involving Jhota's family, representatives of the joint action committee leading the protest, Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian.
Following the agreement, the action committee announced the suspension of its proposed gherao of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's residence on November 5.
Jhota, an anti-drug activist, was shot dead inside a medical store in a busy marketplace in Mansa on October 13. His body had remained at the mortuary of the Civil Hospital in Mansa since the killing, with his family refusing to consent to the postmortem until their demands were addressed.
๐ฅ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ณ, ๐ท๐ผ๐ฏ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ
Under the agreement reached on Wednesday evening, the state government assured Jhota's family of Rs 2 crore in financial compensation and a job for his wife.
The government also agreed to withdraw cases registered against protesters, including Lakha Sidhana and others, to facilitate their release from jail.
The issue of releasing the detained protest leaders had remained a major sticking point during the negotiations, prolonging discussions between the two sides.
Joint action committee member Hardeep Singh Sidhu said the matter was discussed extensively before an understanding was reached.
The government also agreed to provide Rs 50 lakh in compensation and a job to a family member of Daljit Singh of Bhamme Kalan, who died on October 27.
With the principal demands addressed, the family agreed to proceed with Jhota's postmortem and cremation. The autopsy is expected to be conducted at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh.
๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ
Jhota was allegedly shot dead by medical store owner Ashwani Kumar after questioning him over the purported sale of addictive drugs to an elderly man.
The incident occurred while the activist was hosting a Facebook Live session, triggering widespread outrage and protests across Punjab.
Police subsequently took Kumar into custody from Salasar in Rajasthan.
The killing sparked a political controversy in the state, with opposition parties questioning the Aam Aadmi Party government's handling of drug trafficking and law and order.
Following the murder, several organisations and social activists formed a joint action committee to coordinate protests and press for action against those responsible.
The committee had demanded the resignations of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav, besides seeking accountability from officials associated with the case.
๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ, ๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐๐๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ
The Punjab government had earlier agreed to transfer the investigation into Jhota's murder to the Central Bureau of Investigation following a demand from his family.
It also suspended a station house officer, a deputy superintendent of police and a drug inspector in connection with the case.
Despite these measures, the agitation continued as the family and protest leaders pressed for the fulfilment of their remaining demands.
Agriculture Minister Khudian visited Jhota's family on Tuesday evening to offer condolences, becoming the first AAP leader to meet them following the killing.
The subsequent negotiations on Wednesday resulted in the agreement that paved the way for the postmortem and cremation.
๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ธ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด
Jhota's murder had become a major political issue in Punjab ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled for early next year.
Several prominent political leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leader Sachin Pilot, Punjab Congress chief Pargat Singh, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal and Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon, visited the bereaved family.
Opposition parties used the incident to question the state government's efforts to combat drug trafficking and ensure public safety.
The prolonged agitation had also drawn attention to the demands of anti-drug activists seeking stronger enforcement against the sale and distribution of narcotic substances.
Wednesday's agreement brought the immediate protest to a close, although the criminal investigation into Jhota's killing remains pending.
The family is now expected to proceed with the postmortem at PGIMER, Chandigarh, before performing the last rites.