Tension continued in Mansa for the second consecutive day following the killing of Parvinder Singh Jhota, a prominent leader of the Anti-Drug Task Force. The district administration demolished the house of accused Ashwani Kumar, while an angry crowd pulled down his medical store and set it on fire.
 

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vaibhav Chaudhary said the house was demolished because it was an illegal construction.
 

Police have taken medical store owner Ashwani Kumar into custody from Salasar in Rajasthan. Meanwhile, the last rites of Parvinder Singh Jhota remained pending for the second day as protesters continued their agitation demanding justice.
 

Political Leaders Join Protest, Demand Resignations
 

A sit-in protest continued at Trikoni Chowk near the Deputy Commissioner’s residence in Mansa. Leaders from several political parties joined the demonstration and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the removal of Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav.
 

Addressing the gathering, Punjab Congress president Pargat Singh, former Chief Minister and MP Charanjit Singh Channi, MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Balwinder Singh Bhundar, Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann, BSP state president Dr Avtar Singh Karimpuri, BJP state general secretary Mangat Rai Bansal and former CPI MLA Hardev Singh Arshi alleged that Jhota’s killing was politically motivated.
 

They held the state government and the police chief directly responsible and accused the government of failing to control drug trafficking despite its campaign against drugs. The leaders alleged that people working against drugs were being shot dead openly, while drug traffickers were able to commit murders and escape without fear.
 

Crowd Targets Accused’s Properties
 

Nihang Singh organisations, young people and an agitated crowd took out a protest march through the city. The protesters also attempted to demolish another house belonging to the accused in the Green Valley area. Police personnel had already been deployed there, but the crowd could not locate the house inside the colony.
 

During the demolition of the medical store, some intoxicating medicines were also recovered. The Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Bathinda Range, was informed about the recovery.
 

Three Arrested, Police Promise Strict Action
 

City-2 police station registered a case against shopkeeper Ashwani Kumar and others on the statement of Parvinder Singh Jhota’s father, former serviceman Bhim Singh.
 

Bathinda Range DIG Harjit Singh said three people had been arrested in connection with the case. He added that strict action would be taken against any police officer or personnel found guilty.
 

Protest Committee Refuses to Allow Last Rites
 

Advocate Gurlabh Singh Mahal, a leader of the struggle committee, said the indefinite protest would continue until the Chief Minister resigned and the DGP was removed. He also said Jhota’s last rites would not be performed until these demands were met.
 

Jhota’s body remained in the mortuary of the Civil Hospital in Mansa, where protesters and other groups continued to keep watch.
 

Former minister Vijay Inder Singla, Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu, Gurnam Kaur Randhawa, Amrita Gill, former MLA Tarsem Jodha, Manik Goyal and Jasbir Kaur Natt were among those who addressed the protest.
 

Punjab Shutdown Announced
 

A statewide shutdown was announced in protest against Parvinder Singh Jhota’s killing. According to the protest committee, the shutdown would be observed from morning to evening on October 15, with only emergency services remaining operational.
 

The protest continued as demonstrators pressed for action against those responsible for Jhota’s death and demanded accountability from the state government and police leadership.