In a resounding response to the Punjab bandh call given across the state by various unions, following the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota at Mansa, a near complete shutdown was observed across Jalandhar and its periphery today.While key markets and majority of schools and colleges in the city remained closed, among rural areas, Mehatpur, Nurmahal, Nakodar, Kartarpur, Shahkot and Malsian observed a total shut down.Several farmers holding a protest near an eating joint on the Jalandhar-Phagwara highway were detained by the Jalandhar police. With markets remaining closed in a majority of the areas, farmers and political activists were detained at Phagwara highway in Jalandhar.Various farmer and social organisations from Jalandhar held protest demonstrations across the district. Bharti Kisan Union Doaba leaders held a protest at the Behram Toll Plaza, members of the Kisan Sangharsh Committee, Pendu Mazdoor Union, BKU Ekta Sidhpur, Jamhoori Kisan Sabha, Naujawan Bharat Sabha, among others supported the bandh call and also held protest demonstrations.Despite major mobilisation following the bandh, traffic flow continued uninterrupted across Jalandhar.The Jalandhar police also prevented various activists of the Waris Punjab De from blocking traffic at the city’s central Guru Nanak Mission Chowk today.Waris Punjab De, leader Maan Singh said, “Punjab is in the throes of drugs and yet the police don’t even allow us the right to protest. Our leaders were forced to enter gurdwara when we tried to hold a peaceful protest today. The murder of Parvinder Singh Jhota is condemnable and we question how his murderer was allowed to possess weapons despite several raids and actions on him in the past.”Farm activists who had given a call to block the Jalandhar-Phagwara highway were detained.Marches and protest demonstrations also marked, Kapurthala, Phagwara and Hoshiarpur.Meanwhile, at Mehatpur, a complete shutdown (Punjab Bandh) was observed as various farmers, labourers, youth, students and shopkeepers successfully enforced the call for a state-wide strike.Speaking on the occasion, various leaders addressed the gathering and stated that while the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab Government was raising slogans of a “war against drugs”, drug smugglers openly shot and killed anti-drug activist Jhota under its rule.They alleged that large-scale drug smuggling previously persisted during the Akali-BJP government, followed by the Congress regime, but had now expanded to an even larger scale under the current Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. Every day, youngsters werre losing their lives to this menace, the alleged.The leaders demanded that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the DGP of Punjab should resign immediately, and that a CBI investigation be conducted into Jhota’s murder as well as the overall drug smuggling racket in Punjab.The gathering was addressed by prominent leaders, including Tarsem Peter, state president of the Pendu Mazdoor Union;  Major Singh from the Jamhoori Kisan Sabha; Ramandeep Kaur, district president of the Punjab Students Union; Mangaljit Pandori, state vice-president of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha; Kewal Singh, state president of BKU Khaira; Deepu Udhowal from the All India Youth Federation (Sarv Bharat Naujawan Sabha): Rajinder Singh Mand, district leader of the Kirti Kisan Union; Sukhdev Mandiala, along with representatives from BKU Punjab.