The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab on Tuesday, 20 October announced it will transfer the murder case of slain anti-drug activist Parminder Singh Jhota to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), conceding to the family's demand for a central probe. The announcement came hours before a day-long visit by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to the state, where drug-related violence has emerged as a dominant political flashpoint.

What the Chief Minister Said

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann posted on X: “We stand firmly with the father and family of Parminder Singh Jhota, who has been fighting against drugs. Respecting the family’s demand, we are handing over the case to the CBI.” He added that the government’s campaign against drug traffickers would not relent. “Our fight against drug traffickers is a decisive one. We will not back down from taking any stringent measures necessary to make Punjab drug-free,” Mann wrote.

Jhota, a vocal anti-drug activist from Mansa, was shot dead on 13 October 2026. His killing triggered protests across the region and intensified demands for accountability, raising uncomfortable questions about the safety of individuals who publicly challenge drug networks.

Amit Shah’s Punjab Itinerary

Home Minister Shah’s visit covers Mansa, Sangrur, and Gurdaspur, before concluding at Dussehra celebrations in Ludhiana, where an effigy symbolising ‘Chitta’ — a synthetic drug — is scheduled to be burnt alongside Ravana. The symbolism is pointed: it frames the drug menace as a moral and political battle requiring national attention.

In Mansa, Shah is scheduled to meet the family of Jhota. His father, Bhim Singh, has welcomed the visit and reportedly invited the Home Minister to meet at their residence rather than the protest site. In Gurdaspur, Shah will visit Mari Panwan village to meet the family of Bikramjit Singh, who was killed on 15 October. In Sangrur, he is expected to meet the family of Gulzar Singh, who reportedly died by suicide on 7 September following an alleged confrontation over drug sales in his village and remarks directed at Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema.

The Union Home Ministry has also sought detailed reports from the Punjab government on all three cases.

BJP Ramps Up Political Pressure

State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) General Secretary Anil Sareen said the three families Shah is scheduled to meet have become symbols of Punjab’s fight against drugs. The BJP has pledged that the state will be completely drug-free by 31 December 2029 once the party forms the government.

Sareen accused the AAP government of neglecting Punjab, alleging that Chief Minister Mann was on a foreign tour while the state confronted a drug crisis. The BJP charged that the AAP administration had “left Punjab to fend for itself.” The AAP government has not responded to the specific foreign-tour allegation.

The Wider Context: Punjab’s Drug Crisis and 2027 Elections

This comes amid a sustained political battle over Punjab’s drug problem, which has resisted resolution across successive state governments. The transfer of the Jhota case to the CBI marks a notable escalation — state governments typically resist ceding jurisdiction over sensitive law-and-order cases to central agencies. Notably, the announcement arrived on the same day as Shah’s visit, a timing that critics may read as reactive rather than proactive.

With the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections approaching, the drug menace has become a central campaign terrain. Shah’s multi-district tour, his symbolic presence at a ‘Chitta’-burning ceremony, and the BJP’s drug-free deadline all signal an intent to own this issue at the national level heading into the electoral cycle.

How swiftly the CBI constitutes its probe team and whether the investigation proceeds independently of state-level political pressures will be watched closely by activists, opposition parties, and the families seeking justice.