Tensions in Punjab escalated as police forcibly took Daljit Singh's body from his family en route to a protest demanding justice for anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota. Opposition leaders criticized the Bhagwant Mann government, accusing it of failing to address the drug crisis and suppressing voices for justice.
ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2026, Punjab Police forcibly took the dead body of a 35-year-old man while his family was taking it to a protest site, escalating tensions in Punjab. The protest was organized to demand justice for anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, who was shot on October 13, 2026. He was trying to expose the illegal sale of drugs at a medical shop when the owner allegedly shot him with a gun.
Since his death, protests have been taking place in the Mansa district of Punjab, demanding justice for him. The body taken by the police was that of Daljit Singh, a resident of Bhamme Kalan village. His family claimed that he died of a drug overdose, but police denied this and said that his death was under investigation. Activists from the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) staged demonstrations outside police stations, demanding that the police return Daljit's body to his family.
The incident began after Daljit's family and villagers blocked the Sarsa-Mansa road, alleging that he had died of a drug overdose and demanding action against local drug sellers.
However, Mansa Police denied the claim. Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Chaudhary said, as quoted by The Indian Express, “Around 11 am we received information that a body was lying on the side of a road. Some misinformation spread in the area that the death was caused by a drug overdose.”
He added that, after an investigation, police found that someone had taken Daljit, killed him, and thrown his body there from a vehicle. Chaudhary said that they were trying to identify the culprit and register a murder case in connection with the incident.
The family wanted to take Daljit's body to the Mansa protest site to further highlight the issue of drug abuse in Punjab and seek justice. However, as they were taking it to the Jhota 'Insaaf' dharna (justice protest), police blocked the route with trucks and vehicles. Police personnel eventually took the body away. Videos of the incident were shared by opposition leaders on social media, showing a large number of police officers taking his body in a casket away from the family.
Daljit's mother and wife said, “The government makes tall claims about ending the drug menace, yet the sale of drugs continues unabated.” They further added that children were losing their lives because of addiction and that families were suffering unbearable pain.
SSP Chaudhary said that the family, along with several others, was attempting to disrupt law and order. He also said that “mild use of force” was necessary to maintain law and order and added that three police personnel were injured during the scuffle with protesters. He further said that if the body was taken out of Mansa, the family would be allowed to perform the last rites. “The police will not perform the last rites without the family’s consent,” he said.
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Bharatiya Janata Party politician Ravneet Singh Bittu posted a video of the police taking Daljit's body on X and condemned the act. In his post of October 27, 2026, he wrote, “Punjab should have seen this day too - turbans are being taken off, police are running away after snatching the bodies! Taking away the body of Daljit Singh, who died of drug addiction in Mansa from his family - shameful, inhuman, violation of human rights!...Stop suppressing voices, Bhagwant Mann resign!”
He called the incident in Mansa 'beyond shameful' and added, “Drug mafia runs rampant while the government completely fails: Stop silencing the cries for justice.”
While speaking to the media about the issue, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal said that the Punjab administration had completely collapsed. “He (Bhagwant Mann) has mentally prepared himself that he is leaving the battlefield and running away. This is why even the police have now started acting on their own,” Badal said.
He added, “So, there’s no command in Punjab. You can see the situation Punjab is in today. In my lifetime, I have never seen anything like this. The sooner we remove this government, the better, because only then can we save ourselves.”
When asked about alliances and the upcoming elections in Punjab, Badal said that the government needed to be removed as soon as possible. Speaking about a possible alliance, he said, “The parties that accept our demands and our party's policies, except the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, we are open. So, whoever comes forward with a proposal, we'll look into it.”
[Rh/VP/HP]
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