Punjab Pharmacy Council revokes registration of pharmacist accused in Jhota murder

The Punjab Pharmacy Council has cancelled the pharmacist registration of Ashwani Kumar, the primary accused in the murder of anti-drug activist Parminder Singh Jhota. The council’s Executive Committee made the decision during a meeting on October 20, 2026, and the order was officially issued on October 22.

Jhota was shot and killed inside a chemist shop in the Mansa district of Punjab on October 13 while livestreaming on Facebook. The incident reportedly occurred after Jhota confronted Kumar regarding the alleged illegal sale of banned psychotropic substances to an elderly person.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over the probe following consent from the Punjab government. The CBI’s Special Crime Branch is investigating the case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Arms Act, 1959. Kumar was arrested in Rajasthan, and investigators are examining potential links between the killing and the illegal sale of addictive drugs.