Punjab Activist Jhota Killed in Mansa Shooting

Anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot during a confrontation at a medical store in Mansa, Punjab, on October 13 and died at a hospital, police said. Four companions were also reported injured. Police identified the store owner, Ashwani Kumar, as the accused in the shooting and said he had fled. The confrontation concerned alleged sales of addictive or prohibited substances. Jhota and his supporters were questioning the store owner about a sale to a man, and Jhota was recording the exchange on his phone. Footage described in reports circulated online and appears to capture an argument followed by gunfire. The video has not been independently authenticated in the supplied accounts, and the precise sequence leading to the shots remains under investigation. Police said Jhota was taken to hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Accounts said four companions were wounded; reports differed on the severity of their injuries. No final update on their condition was available in the information reviewed. On October 14, a report said Kumar had been arrested in Salasar, Rajasthan, after a police search.