Punjabi news channels PTC News, The TV NRI and Lok Awaz TV reported late on Monday that Punjab Police took activist Lakha Sidhana into custody at the Mansa morcha, the protest seeking justice for murdered anti-drug campaigner Parvinder Singh Jhota. The channels' ground reports said a heavy police force was deployed in Mansa as the detention was carried out.

According to PTC News, police also took away Jhota's body, which protesters had kept at the morcha while pressing their demands. Another channel, OG Punjab, reported that tension at the site rose after a further young man's alleged death by drug overdose, and that protesters and police came close to a clash. These details come from the channels' own reporting and have not been confirmed by the police.

Some of the same channels also reported that activist Bhana Sidhu was detained or arrested along with Sidhana. That part of the story is weaker: fewer outlets name him directly, and Awaaz Punjab could not independently confirm any action against Bhana Sidhu.

Jhota, who campaigned against drug peddlers, was shot dead at a chemist shop in Mansa on October 13 during a Facebook Live broadcast. The CBI has registered a case in the killing, and four accused — the chemist Ashwani, his wife Neelam Rani, his cousin Parveen Garg and an employee, Laddi — have been arrested and are in CBI custody, according to published reports. Jhota's family and a justice committee have withheld consent for the post-mortem until their demands are met, and the protest reached its fourteenth day on Tuesday.

At the time of publishing, Punjab Police and the Mansa district administration had issued no statement on the reported detention — no FIR number, police station or legal basis has been made public. Awaaz Punjab is seeking police confirmation and will update this story as soon as an official version is available.