States » NorthPosted at: Oct 13 2026 9:33PM


Punjab CM's Anti-Drug Review Meeting Was Planned Before Mansa Activist's Killing, Sources Say

Chandigarh, Oct 13 (UNI) A high-level meeting of Punjab's civil and police administration to review the state's anti-drug campaign, now being linked to the killing of activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa, had reportedly been planned before Tuesday's shooting, according to administrative sources and a government communication.
The meeting, to be chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann at the Punjab Police Academy in Phillaur on October 16, was already scheduled, with deputy commissioners verbally informed about it on October 12, a day before Jhota was shot dead, the sources said.
A communication issued by Punjab's Department of General Administration on October 13 confirms that the meeting is scheduled for 10.30 a.m. on October 16 and will bring together senior civil and police officials from across the state.
The communication, bearing memorandum number GAD-COORDMEET/3/2026-GC 2/1874, describes the gathering as a review of the implementation and progress of the government's anti-drug campaign.
Its agenda includes an assessment of the 60-day hotspot campaign, coordination with district authorities, meetings of Village Defence Committees and the sharing of best practices in tackling drug trafficking.
The government has directed senior administrative secretaries and district-level officers from the police, health, education, rural development, social welfare and other departments to attend.
The document has assumed significance following reports suggesting that the Chief Minister called a major anti-drug review meeting in response to Jhota's killing.
While the October 13 communication establishes the meeting's official schedule, it does not independently confirm when the decision to convene it was first taken.
An administrative source familiar with the arrangements said, "The deputy commissioners had already been verbally informed about the October 16 meeting on October 12."
The account could not be independently verified.
Jhota, who had campaigned against alleged illegal drug sales, was shot dead following a confrontation at a medical store in Mansa on Tuesday, prompting renewed questions about the safety of anti-drug campaigners and the state's law-and-order situation.
It remains unclear whether the Chief Minister also ordered a separate meeting after the killing or whether subsequent reports referred to the previously scheduled October 16 review.
Clarification from the Chief Minister's Office would be necessary to establish the distinction.
UNI NB CDS
Tags: #Punjab CM's Anti-Drug Review Meeting Was Planned Before Mansa Activist's Killing# Sources Say
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