Mansa — The body of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was sent from the Civil Hospital in Mansa to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh for a post-mortem examination shortly before midnight on Thursday, nearly 23 days after his death, following the agreement reached between his family and the Justice Action Committee.

Why the transfer was delayed

According to the report, the dispatch held up even after preparations were complete because action committee members maintained that the body would not be taken to Chandigarh until the cases registered in connection with the matter were withdrawn. After the agreement, prayers were offered and slogans were raised before the body was placed in an ambulance and sent to Chandigarh.

Released leaders reached the hospital

Lakhha Sidhana and Mohanjit Singh Sheron, released from Nabha jail, reached the Civil Hospital in Mansa along with other youths released from Bathinda jail. The report said a Mansa court had issued release warrants for Sidhana and Sheron, after which both were released. Their release was among the key demands of the agitation.

Mansa civil surgeon Dr Ranjit Singh Rai said the body would be dispatched as soon as an agreement was reached between the action committee and the family. Special CBI officials were also present at the hospital to receive the body, according to the report. The post-mortem at PGIMER is expected to provide further information about the circumstances and cause of Jhota's death.

Background

Jhota was shot dead in Mansa on October 13. According to Mirror Now, he was livestreaming a confrontation with a pharmacy owner over the alleged illegal sale of prescription drugs; police arrested the pharmacy owner, Ashwani Kumar, and three others within 24 hours — all of this remains allegation, and the case is now with the CBI. The family had refused to allow a post-mortem until its demands were addressed. The agreement, reached on November 4 after a meeting with a government delegation including Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian, provides Rs 2 crore in compensation to the family, a government job for Jhota's wife Manpreet Kaur according to her qualifications, and the withdrawal of the November 5 programme to gherao the Chief Minister's Sangrur residence — as Awaaz Punjab has already reported. Thursday night's dispatch is the implementation step of that agreement.

Note: The dispatch and release-warrant details are from Punjab E News' report; the agreement terms are also reported by Punjab Khabarnama, Mirror Now and The CSR Journal. All allegations connected with the killing remain to be proved in court.