“He (Ashwani) is not a good person; I was aware of that,” said AAP Mansa MLA Vijay Singla while reacting to the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota. He asserted that he had never spoken to the accused over the phone. Notably, Ashwani, a chemist, is accused of opening fire and killing Jhota at his shop by opening fire on Tuesday morning. Terming the incident painful, Singla said Ashwani should be punished for the crime and appealed to people not to fight among themselves over the issue.Speaking to The Tribune, Singla said, “He (Ashwani) never came to us, and we never entertained him. I challenge anyone to show if I had a meeting or conversation with him in the past five years.” The protesters have been alleging for the past few days that Ashwani enjoyed the MLA’s patronage. Further, responding to allegations linking Ashwani to Finance Minister Harpal Cheema, Singla said Cheema also had no connection with the accused. He claimed that Cheema might not even know Ashwani. However, Bhim Singh, father of Parvinder Singh Jhota, has been repeatedly alleging, “Ashwani is a close relative of Harpal Cheema.” Singla said protesters were making unusual statements by dragging political leaders into the matter and stressed that the focus should remain on ensuring justice for Jhota. He reiterated that those responsible for the activist’s murder must be punished.