{
  "id": 16434324,
  "title": "Rakesh Tikait urges Parvinder Singh Jhota’s family to cremate body, carry on anti-drug fight",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/25/rakesh-tikait-urges-parvinder-singh-jhotas-family-to-cremate-body",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-25T05:20:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/jhota-murder-rakesh-tikait-anti-drug-activist-cremation-body-10935871/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Bharatiya Kisan Union national president Rakesh Tikait urged the family of slain anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota to conduct his funeral rites on Saturday, urging supporters to carry on his anti-narcotics fight. The family's decision to cremate Jhota's body has been delayed for the 12th day. Tikait visited Mansa to show solidarity with Jhota's family and the committee leading the protest, emphasizing that the struggle for a drug-free Punjab must continue beyond the funeral. He called the family to perform the cremation for clarity, acknowledging their immense pain. Tikait described Jhota as a drug-fighting martyr and called for tough action against drug traffickers, demanding the punishment of those selling intoxicating medicines as severe as murder. The anti-drug activist's father, Bhim Singh, complained about police inaction and demanded a probe into the officers involved in his son's shooting. The family also asked for the immediate transfer of Mansa SSP Vaibhav Chaudhary, suspension of DSP Harjinder Singh Gill, and resignations of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and DGP Gaurav Yadav. CBI officials raided medical stores in Mansa to investigate the illegal storage and sale of controlled pharmaceutical drugs. Former Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar also visited Jhota's family, praising his anti-drug campaign and warning about the threat to Punjab's youth and future. Punjab Congress president Pargat Singh lauded Bhim Singh's persistence in demanding justice and accused the Aam Aadmi Party government of failing to curb the drug trade over the past five years.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Rakesh Tikait urges Jhota's family to cremate body on Saturday.",
    "Tikait shows solidarity with family and protest committee.",
    "Jhota described as drug-fighting martyr demanding severe punishment for drug traffickers."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The demand for high-level resignations and police accountability transforms a personal tragedy into a political confrontation over the government's failure to dismantle the illegal pharmaceutical drug trade in Punjab.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}