Punjab: Khudian meets Jhota’s family in Mansa

Khudian was the first leader from the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to visit the family members of Jhota, who was shot dead on October 13

Agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian visited the family of slain anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota at their residence in Mansa on Monday evening.

Khudian, accompanied by the AAP legislator from Sardulgarh, Gurpreet Singh Banwali, stayed for nearly 45 minutes. (HT File)

Khudian was the first leader from the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to visit the family members of Jhota, who was shot dead on October 13.

Khudian, accompanied by the AAP legislator from Sardulgarh, Gurpreet Singh Banwali, stayed for nearly 45 minutes.

The minister said he had come to condole Jhota’s death. He did not respond to media queries about the demands of the Insaaf Committee, which has been protesting for the last three weeks seeking justice in the murder.

In a video statement, the slain activist’s father Bhim Singh said the minister also discussed the Insaaf Committee’s demand for a meeting with the Vidhan Sabha Speaker, two senior cabinet ministers, and the chief secretary in Mansa to resolve their 14-point demands, including the resignation of chief minister Bhagwant Mann and state police chief Gaurav Yadav.

Singh said Khudian did not assure a schedule for any such meeting. Jhota’s body is kept at the Mansa civil hospital’s mortuary as the family is firm that the autopsy and cremation would be allowed only after their demands are met.

Sources said that the minister tried to convince them to agree to allow the post-mortem examination before the call to gherao the CM’s residence in Sangrur on Thursday.

They said that the state government is considering compensation for the aggrieved family as the 21-day long agitation is causing political embarrassment to the AAP leadership ahead of the state assembly polls.