Mansa: The CBI team probing activist Parvinder Singh Jhota’s murder checked three pharmacies in Mansa on Saturday over the suspected sale of habit-forming drugs, widening its probe beyond the Oct 13 killing.One of the pharmacies had been sealed by the Punjab food and drug administration as part of a crackdown following Jhota’s murder. The CBI team broke the seal to enter the shop.Another pharmacy in Veer Nagar was searched for the second time in three days. CBI officials had visited the outlet on the evening of Oct 22. The team later checked a third pharmacy near the Mansa bus stand.The CBI had earlier inspected the site of Garg Medicare, the demolished shop owned by murder accused Ashwani Kumar, and checked its measurements.A CBI source said Jhota had previously raised his voice against the pharmacies now being checked by investigators. The agency is trying to assess the scale of the sale of habit-forming drugs in the town, the source added.Meanwhile, Jhota’s father, Bhim Singh, said the suspension of the Mansa DSP, SHO and drug inspector was not enough and demanded action against the district’s senior superintendent of police (SSP) as well.He said the SSP should not be allowed to attend the meeting between the state govt-appointed panel and the committee spearheading protests over Jhota’s killing. Bhim Singh said he and Jhota’s wife, Manpreet Kaur, would stay away if the SSP participated.He also demanded the SSP’s transfer out of Mansa.
