Punjab Bandh On October 15: State Shut From 6 AM To 5 PM; Buses Halted, Roads Blocked, Heavy Deployment in Amritsar

A statewide Punjab Bandh is being observed today to protest the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa. The shutdown has led to the closure of markets and private educational institutions, while the Chandigarh District Bar Association is observing a 'No Work Day'.

A Punjab Bandh is being observed today (October 15) in protest against the murder of anti-drug activist Jhota in Mansa. He was shot dead at a chemist shop in Mansa on Tuesday morning. The shutdown will remain in force from 6 am to 5 pm. Only emergency services such as hospitals, medical stores, fire brigade and ambulances have been exempted. Private schools and colleges are closed in Ludhiana, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Bathinda, Mansa and Jalandhar. Government schools, however, remain open. In Bathinda, members of the Kisan organisation Sidhupur blocked the Bathinda-Chandigarh highway. Markets are also shut.

The call was given by the Insaaf Morcha, a joint action committee of various organisations formed after Jhota’s death. The Morcha and Jhota’s father have appealed for a peaceful shutdown and urged the public to support it in the demand for justice.

In Bathinda, private buses remained off the roads at the bus stand, while only a few Punjab Roadways buses were operating. Heavy police deployment was also reported in Amritsar as authorities remained alert amid the shutdown call by various communities across Punjab.

Chandigarh District Bar Association to observe ‘No Work Day’

The District Bar Association (DBA) in Chandigarh will observe a ‘No Work Day’ today, October 15. The decision was unanimously taken during an emergency meeting of the association’s executive body on October 14.

In light of the planned Punjab bandh and the reported insults and abuse of attorneys during a recent rally at the Supreme Court in New Delhi, the association has chosen to refrain from working.

All of the DBA's members in Chandigarh have been urged to observe "No Work Day" and abstain from judicial activity.

In light of the attorneys' absence, it has also asked judicial authorities to postpone cases to suitable future dates and to avoid from issuing any unfavourable rulings against them.

What has happened so far in the Jhota murder case?

On October 13 in Mansa, a medical shop operator was purportedly questioned by Parvinder Singh Jhota, the leader of a campaign against narcotics, over the selling of intoxicating drugs. During the altercation, a shot was fired. Four people were hurt, and Jhota passed away. During a Facebook Live, the incident was captured on camera.

Demanding harsh punishment for the culprits, the family and friends staged protests at a hospital and a Mansa chowk. The family and the authorities did not reach a consensus during their initial negotiations. Ashwani Kumar, a medical shop owner from Salasar, Rajasthan, was taken into custody by police. A person who reportedly assisted the accused in escaping had already been taken into custody, according to the police.

Using a bulldozer, the government destroyed the accused's home and pharmacy. The buildings were labelled as unlawful constructions, but no formal explanation was provided.