Jhota’s Murder Puts Drugs Back in Focus Ahead of Assembly Elections

October

2026

The daylight murder of anti-drug activist Parwinder Singh Jhota has brought Panjab’s drug issue back to the center of the state’s political discourse, putting the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on the defensive, as the opposition steps up its attacks ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. Jhota was shot dead at a pharmacy in Mansa on 13 Oct. The opposition is targeting Panjab government's Yudh Nashian Virudh (War Against Drugs, YNV), now in its fifth phase, after it missed all earlier targets. Even before AAP formed the government in March 2022, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had declared his party would rid Panjab of drugs within six months. When that did not work, on India's Independence Day, 15 Aug 2023, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced a new target of 15 Aug 2024, which was then moved to 31 Dec 2024. The AAP government had launched YNV in early March 2025, setting 31 May 2025 as the deadline to eradicate the menace. Four days after the deadline expired, Panjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav announced that the police had prepared a fresh roadmap to eliminate drugs through a two-pronged strategy: dismantling narcotics networks by targeting major suppliers and peddlers, while separating drug users from traffickers and encouraging users to undergo de-addiction treatment. Jhota was killed on the 591^st day of YNV. According to a Panjab government release, between 1 Apr 2025–30 Sept 2026, the Punjab Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) conducted 16,788 inspections and suspended the licenses of 520 chemists for violating drug laws. FDA filed 54 court cases, of which 35 resulted in convictions and fines. The Panjab Bharatiya Janata Party chief, Kewal Dhillon has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the activist’s killing. He also called for the Chief Minister’s resignation, alleging that the drug problem had spiraled out of control. Shiromani Akali Dal president, Sukhbir Singh Badal, described the killing as a reflection of the 'collapse of law and order' in Panjab. After Jhota’s murder, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked the Panjab government to submit a detailed account of the murder and has also sought details of measures taken to combat drug trafficking and substance abuse (earlier coverage).