Chandigarh, Oct 23 — The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday appealed to Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria to dismiss Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, besides urging him to grant a Rs two crore compensation to the family of slain anti-drug crusader Parvinder Singh Jhota and a class one job to his widow.
A party delegation, led by President Sukhbir Singh Badal, also called for action against all Ministers, legislators and civil and police officials accused of patronising the drug trade and issuing arms licenses to drug offenders.
It urged that the ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into Jhota's murder be expanded to cover the cases of Gulzar Singh of Toor Banjara in Dirba, who named Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema in his dying declaration, and Bikramjit Singh of Hargobindpur Sahib, who was hacked to death for opposing the drug mafia.
Briefing the Governor, the SAD President said that these series of corrective steps should be taken to instill confidence in Punjabis at a critical juncture when the state was battling the scourge of drugs.
He also stressed that the drug crusader's family was a family of Punjab and even though Jhota's father had not asked for any personal benefit, the state must look after the family.
He said Jhota's wife was a teacher and should be given a gazzetted class one job.
Asserting that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was responsible for the murder of Jhota, Badal cited Jhota's father Bhim Singh's statement to the police in which the latter highlighting how his son had been fallen victim to the politician-police nexus behind the drug trade in Punjab.
The SAD Chief said that Bhim Singh had asserted that this nexus was receiving patronage from the top level, including Chief Minister Mann.
He added that the anti-drug crusader's father had also gone on record to state that his son had told him that the State Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav was behind the false cases registered against Jhota.
The memorandum said that these steps would send a clear message to Punjabis that enough was enough.
"Punjab and Punjabis have realised that the drug menace and its perpetrators and patrons are the number one enemy of the state and that they must be dealt with most sternly," Badal said.