Anti-Drug Activist Shot Dead on Facebook Live After Confronting Chemist Over Alleged Drug Sales

An anti-drug campaigner in the North Indian state of Punjab was shot dead inside a chemist shop while he streamed a confrontation with its owner live on Facebook.

Parvinder Singh, known as Jhota, was killed in Mansa early Tuesday 13 October 2026, and four of his companions suffered bullet wounds.

Police have identified the shop owner, Ashwani Kumar, as the accused, the man Jhota and his supporters had allegedly paraded through a local market in July 2023. The killing has set off protests in Mansa and renewed criticism of law and order in Punjab.

'Why Have You Kept a Pistol'

The video, streamed on Jhota's Facebook page, runs for about five minutes and 48 seconds, The Tribune reported, and it shows Jhota and his companions arguing with the owner of a medical store over drugs allegedly sold to a man.

Jhota stood beside an elderly man who he said had bought drugs from the shop, Outlook India reported. When the shopkeeper asked whether the man had made a purchase, Jhota answered, 'Yes, we have the recording.' He told his associates to call the police and demanded to see the shop's CCTV footage.

The shopkeeper was then seen holding a pistol. 'Why have you kept a pistol,' Jhota asked, before saying: 'Maar mujhe, maar mujhe' ('Kill me, kill me'). Gunshots followed and the phone fell, ending the broadcast, according to the Sunday Guardian.

All five men were taken to Civil Hospital in Mansa, where Jhota was declared dead on arrival. Senior Medical Officer Dr Gurmail Singh told The Tribune that Jhota had three bullet wounds, two in the abdomen and one in the thigh. 'One of the bullets had pierced Parvinder's liver, leading to his death,' he said. The doctor described the four companions' injuries as minor, although Outlook India reported that one was seriously injured.

Mansa Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Choudhary said the accused was 'a local chemist shop owner' who had fired on Jhota 'from close range' at the shop, ThePrint reported.

The shop owner reportedly shut the shop and fled. Choudhary later assured that the accused would be arrested within 24 hours, and said police were examining whether the weapon was legally held.

Police made a first arrest in the case of a person described as an alleged accomplice of Kumar, Babushahi reported, citing Bathinda Range Deputy Inspector General Harjit Singh. The outlet also reported that members of Kumar's family had been detained, without making clear whether they were being questioned or accused of any role. The allegations against Kumar have not been established in court.

A Feud That Began With a Garland of Shoes

Jhota and Kumar had clashed before. In July 2023, Jhota and his supporters allegedly paraded Kumar through a Mansa market with a garland of shoes around his neck, accusing him of selling banned drugs, The Tribune reported. A video from the time showed the group following a man they said was carrying banned capsules to Kumar's shop.

Police registered a case against Kumar on Jhota's complaint. After videos of the parade spread online, they also booked Jhota for allegedly taking the law into his own hands. According to the Sunday Guardian, he was arrested in July 2023 on allegations of assault, trespass and rioting and released about two months later.

A former kabaddi player who, according to ThePrint, had overcome addiction himself, Jhota built a following by confronting suspected sellers on camera. He formed what he called an 'Anti-Drug Task Force', handed alleged dealers to police and launched the 'Nasha Roko, Rozgar Do' ('Stop Drugs, Give Jobs') campaign, which inspired village committees across Mansa and Bathinda, The Tribune reported.

His videos often targeted chemists he accused of supplying prescription medicines, including pregabalin, without the required prescriptions.

His methods also put him at odds with the police. Supporters who gathered at the hospital on Tuesday chanted slogans against the force and later staged a protest at Bara Hatta Chowk. Jhota's father said he would not cremate his son's body until justice was done and demanded the dismissal of the Punjab government.

Opposition Turns on AAP Government

The killing prompted renewed criticism of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, which runs a flagship anti-drug campaign called 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' ('War Against Drugs').

'This heinous murder is a stark reminder that law and order has ceased to exist in Punjab,' said Sukhbir Singh Badal, president of the Shiromani Akali Dal, The Statesman reported. He called the campaign a 'gimmick'.

Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, who led the Punjab Congress until Pargat Singh replaced him on 2 October, wrote on X that the 'broad daylight murder exposes serious failures of the AAP government'. He said he had met Jhota's father and family in 2023, when Jhota was arrested in what Warring called a false case.

Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia said Jhota 'was killed while exposing drug dealers on camera' and alleged that the shop owner had sold 'chitta', a local term for heroin, the Free Press Journal reported. Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon described the situation as 'jungle raj', demanded Mann's resignation and sought an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

AAP spokesperson Baltej Pannu condemned the killing, said no one could take the law into their own hands and promised the family strict action. Mann reportedly called a high-level meeting to review the case.

The shooting came two days after Assistant Sub-Inspector Iqbal Singh was shot dead in Tarn Taran district on 11 October. It also followed the appointment of Gaurav Yadav as Punjab's permanent director general of police on 9 October, after more than four years in the role on an officiating basis.