Mansa: The deadlock over the cremation of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhotta continued for the 20th consecutive day on Sunday, while the cremation of Bhamme Kalan resident Daljit Singh also remained uncertain after his family refused to perform the last rites for the sixth day.
Jhotta’s family and the action committee are continuing to demand the resignation of Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann and director general of police Gaurav Yadav before his cremation. Meanwhile, Daljit’s family has approached the Punjab and Haryana high court, seeking a CBI investigation into his death.
The protest continued at Teen Koni Chowk in Mansa on Sunday. Protesters also discussed plans to gherao the chief minister’s residence in Sangrur on November 5.
Addressing the gathering, Jhotta’s father, Bhim Singh, said the family would not cremate his son even if the agitation continued for months, until their demands were met.
He demanded the release of youths arrested from different locations in connection with cases involving the tearing of posters in Bhamme Kalan and other parts of Punjab. He also called for the withdrawal of all cases registered against them, saying the family would not engage in talks with the government until these demands were fulfilled.
Daljit’s family moves high court
In a separate development, Daljit Singh’s sister, Amarjit Kaur, has filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana high court seeking a CBI probe into her brother’s death, a postmortem by doctors at PGI Chandigarh and security for the family.
The petition is scheduled to come up for hearing on November 2.
Amarjit alleged that police had taken custody of Daljit’s body against the family’s wishes and prevented them from performing his last rites. The family’s demands and the circumstances surrounding the cremation remain unresolved.
