Mansa:A sense of calm prevailed in Mansa on Friday, with traders reopening their shops after three days of fear and uncertainty following the killing of anti-drug activist Parminder Singh Jhota.The normalcy followed a high-level meeting between the action committee, locals and officials, including Bathinda range DIG Harjit Singh, Mansa deputy commissioner Navjot Kaur and SSP Vaibhav Chaudhary, convened to address fears of communal tension and rumours.Police assured strict patrolling and registered three FIRs against those attempting to create terror, indulge in arson and spread rumours.The first FIR was filed for deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings after a clip targeting a specific community was uploaded to social media. Another was filed against unidentified persons for vandalising a tobacco shop and setting goods on fire near the railway station on Thursday. The third FIR was lodged for spreading rumours that the accused, Ashwani Kumar, owned a residential plot in Green Valley colony, which had drawn a large crowd of protesters intending to demolish the structure.SSP Chaudhary told TOI that police are identifying suspects using video clips and CCTV cameras. A naka has also been established at the protest site to prevent protesters from entering the town to create ruckus.Police also agreed not to force the family to agree to post-mortem or cremation. Action committee members Gurlabh Singh Mahal and Manik Goyal said while certain issues were resolved, no final decision has been made regarding the cremation and the committee will act according to the family’s wishes.Jhota’s father, Bhim Singh, said no decision has been made on the cremation yet, as the family is sticking to its demands for action against the chief minister and the DGP. He urged protesters to maintain peace and avoid harassing anyone, particularly vendors.
