New Delhi: Ankit Love, leader of the Panthers Party, has accused his cousin and her brother of assassinating his mother, Jay Mala, and his father, Bhim Singh, last year.
Love believes that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is ultimately responsible for the murders. He has requested a probe into their deaths and has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Jay Mala and Bhim Singh were founders of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), which has consistently won elections in the Udhampur region for over 40 years. The party can hold the key to power in Jammu and Kashmir as a kingmaker determinant, and in the 2004 elections, it won all seats in the Udhampur district and provided two ministers in the ruling coalition.
Confession and illicit payment
Love's cousin, Vilakshan Singh, confessed to being in discussions with the BJP for an illicit payment ranging between 20 to 100 crore rupees, on the day Jay Mala died. Vilakshan had hoped to form an alliance with the BJP, but Jay Mala was a proponent of secular values and fiercely opposed such a coalition.
Opposition and abuse
Jay Mala had previously supported Vilakshan Singh as interim president of JKNPP, but withdrew her support when his tenure expired on 23 March 2023. She endorsed Harsh Dev Singh as the new president following his election by the majority of the working committee on 4 April 2023. Vilakshan's sister, Mrignayani Slathia, physically abused Jay Mala and placed her under virtual house arrest, confiscating all her phones and bank cards until her eventual murder.
Investigation and sealing of accommodation
On 28 February, just two months prior to her own death, Jay Mala appeared on TV, asking for an investigation into her husband's mysterious death and alleging the involvement of the Bharatiya Janata Party. At the same time, her secure accommodation was sealed by the government.
