Bathinda: Two fundraising campaigns launched to support the family of slain anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota have been paused just two days after they began following requests from the family.Jhota was shot dead after confronting a medical shop owner over the sale of banned drugs in Mansa on Oct 13. The main accused, Ashwani Kumar, has been arrested.Over Rs 1 crore has already been collected across the UK and Australia in less than 48 hours after two separate appeals went live on GoFundMe, a US-based crowdfunding platform used for events ranging from personal milestones to challenging circumstances.Australian resident Pippal Singh Randhawa initiated a campaign on Oct 15 with a target of 160,000 Australian Dollars (Rs 1.05 crore), a goal achieved in only 47 hours. “GoFundMe is currently verifying the details of the beneficiaries. Once they release the money, we will follow all legal guidelines to transfer the funds to the family,” said Randhawa from Melbourne.In the UK, Gurmail Singh Malhi launched an appeal on Oct 14 on behalf of the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall, targeting 100,000 British Pounds. It had raised 2,208 Pounds before being halted.“We have stopped accepting any further donations out of respect for the wishes of Jhota’s family. We sincerely thank everyone who has contributed and shown their love, generosity and support. The proceeds accepted will be donated to the family in the coming weeks,” Malhi’s update stated.The decision follows remarks by Jhota’s father, Bhim Singh, who, while rejecting an offer of financial compensation from Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami, stated that he needed no money and urged the public to halt all fundraising efforts.The crowdfunding campaigns highlighted Jhota’s relentless fight against the drug crisis plaguing the youth in Punjab
