Giving in to demands from protesters seeking justice for slain anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, the Mansa district administration on Thursday suspended city-2 station house officer (SHO) inspector Beant Kaur.

Mansa senior superintendent of police (SSP) Vaibhav Chaudhary said Beant Kaur was placed under suspension on administrative grounds following allegations of police negligence.

Chaudhary said investigation into the shooting confirmed the pharmacy where Jhota was killed held a licence registered under Neelam Rani, the wife of accused Ashwani Kumar.

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“We have nominated Neelam and two others in the case for their suspected roles in the crime. Communication has been sent to licensing authorities to verify whose name the pistol used to kill Jhota and injure four others was issued under,” the SSP said.

Kumar, who fled Mansa after Tuesday’s shooting, was arrested the next morning in Salasar, Rajasthan.

A case was registered at the city-2 police station under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 103(1) (murder), 109 (attempt to murder), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), and 3(5) (common intention), along with Arms Act provisions, following a complaint filed by the victim’s father, Bhim Singh.

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Escalating their agitation, Jhota’s family demanded the resignation of chief minister Bhagwant Mann and director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav for failing to curb the state’s drug trade. Bhim Singh demanded the dismissal and booking of the Mansa SSP, DSP, district drug inspector, and the SHO, while insisting that his son’s post-mortem examination be conducted by a medical board at Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh.

Facing backlash from the action committee leading the agitation, Bathinda range deputy inspector general (DIG) Harjeet Singh issued an apology on Wednesday night for previously linking the murder to an old personal dispute. During a visit to the protest site alongside Mansa SSP Chaudhary and deputy commissioner Navjot Kaur, the DIG was challenged by Mansa advocate Gulabh Singh Mahal for making speculative statements during an ongoing investigation.

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“I apologise if my statement has hurt anyone. I had no intention to hurt you. We need your support, and the administration is with you,” the DIG said, retracting his remarks.

Meanwhile, the murder led to a near-complete bandh across Mansa, with private educational institutions in Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar, and nearby districts remaining closed. Heavy police deployment was stationed across key highway junctions as farmer union members assembled in support.