Punjab: Tension in Mansa After Police Take Custody of Man’s Body Amid Protest, Opposition Targets AAP Government
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Mansa, Oct 29: Tension gripped Punjab’s Mansa district after a confrontation broke out between police and villagers demanding justice for a 35-year-old man whose family suspects he died due to drug consumption. The situation escalated on Tuesday when police took custody of Daljit Singh’s body and several protesters were dragged into police vehicles during clashes, triggering allegations of police high-handedness and sharp criticism from opposition leaders.
The incident occurred when Daljit Singh’s relatives and supporters attempted to take his body to an ongoing protest seeking justice for anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, who was shot dead on October 13. Police personnel stopped the procession at Ramdittewala Chowk by placing trucks and other vehicles across the road. A confrontation followed as police moved to disperse the gathering and take possession of the body.
Videos circulating from the scene showed police personnel dragging protesters and forcing them into vehicles. Several people, including women, were reportedly detained.
Daljit Singh, a resident of Bhamme Kalan village and father of two children, was found dead near Ramanandi village on Tuesday. His family suspects that he died after consuming drugs and has demanded strict action against those allegedly supplying narcotics in the region.
His wife, Paramjit Kaur, accused the police of pressuring family members regarding the post-mortem examination and questioned the manner in which the body was taken into custody.
A family member alleged that the police were portraying the case as murder and claimed that Daljit’s father had been taken away and relatives pressured to sign documents.
Daljit’s sister also raised concerns over the investigation, alleging that family members had been separated and expressing apprehension that their father could be pressured into making a statement.
“If the police believe it was a murder, is this how they conduct an investigation by hiding the body, fleeing with it and taking family members to separate police stations?” she questioned.
Daljit’s mother, Chand Kaur, demanded action against alleged drug suppliers, holding the continued availability of narcotics responsible for the suffering of families in the region.
Rejecting the family’s claim that Daljit died of a drug overdose, Mansa Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Chaudhary said preliminary investigations pointed towards murder.
According to the SSP, four people travelling in a white Swift car allegedly dumped the body by the roadside before fleeing. He added that three suspects had been detained and the exact cause of death would be established through a post-mortem examination.
Defending the police action, Chaudhary alleged that some protesters had attempted to disrupt law and order and attacked police personnel.
Police stated that the body had been shifted to AIIMS Bathinda and that the family would be able to perform the last rites.
The confrontation also resulted in the detention of activist Lakha Sidhana. Reports of restrictions on farmers travelling towards Mansa further heightened tensions in the district.
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia condemned the police action and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the Mansa SSP. He described the incident as an assault on human dignity and Sikh religious sentiments.
Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu termed the police action inhuman and accused the Punjab government of suppressing voices demanding justice.
The latest confrontation has further intensified the situation in Mansa, where protesters have been demanding justice for Parvinder Singh Jhota, who was shot dead on October 13.
Farmer organisations have announced demonstrations against the police action, while security has been tightened around protest sites and key roads to prevent further escalation.
The circumstances surrounding Daljit Singh’s death remain under investigation. While his family maintains that drugs were responsible for his death and demands action against alleged drug suppliers, police are pursuing a suspected murder case.
The incident has also triggered a political confrontation, with opposition parties questioning the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government over law and order, the alleged drug menace and the handling of public protests.