MANSA - Mansa Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Chaudhary said on Tuesday that three main accused have been rounded up in the murder case registered over the death of Daljit Singh, 35, of Bhamme Kalan village, whose family alleges he died of a drug overdose, The Indian Express and BBC News Punjabi reported, as summarised by Jugti.

Source: Jugti, citing The Indian Express and BBC News Punjabi

The SSP disputed the overdose claim. He said police were told at around 11 a.m. that a body was lying by a roadside, and that their inquiry found someone had arrived in a vehicle and left it there. A murder case is being registered, he said.

What happened during the confrontation

Daljit Singh's family and villagers blocked the Sirsa-Mansa road and, when they tried to take the body to the Jhota morcha protest site in Mansa, police barricaded the route and a standoff followed, after which police took the body away, according to the reports. Villagers alleged that police used force at Ramdittewala Chowk and detained around a dozen people, including family members - an allegation reported by PunjabeNews.

Source: PunjabeNews

The SSP said 'mild force' was used to maintain law and order, that police personnel were injured, and that an attempt-to-murder case was being registered over the confrontation. He said the body had been taken out of the district for a post-mortem and that the family would be allowed to perform the last rites, adding that peaceful protest is a democratic right.

BBC News Punjabi noted that the actual cause of death will be clear only after the post-mortem report.

Detentions at the morcha, and what happens next

After the confrontation, police raided the main Jhota morcha site, where activist Lakha Sidhana, Bhana Sidhu and Mohanjit Sheron were among those detained, Babushahi reported via Jugti. The SSP said Sidhana was held for allegedly trying to disturb law and order. The Indian Express reported that Sidhu later released a video saying he had escaped custody and returned to the site. Awaaz Punjab's earlier report had carried the Sidhana detention as unconfirmed; it is now attributed to Babushahi and the SSP's statement.

Opposition leaders criticised the police action: Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal and Congress leader Amrinder Singh Raja Warring condemned the seizure of the body, and BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu demanded President's rule, BBC News Punjabi reported via Jugti. These are political allegations and reactions, not established findings.

The Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta (Ugrahan) has announced protests outside police stations across Punjab on Wednesday, and Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira is due to visit Mansa, according to the reports.

Earlier Awaaz Punjab report on the death and the family's protest: Mansa: Family Protests With Body of Daljit Singh