Opposition leaders on Tuesday targeted the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government after police took custody of the body of 35-year-old Daljit Singh, who died of a suspected drug overdose, as his family and villagers attempted to take it to a protest site in Mansa linked to anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota.Accusing the state government of failing to tackle Punjab’s drug crisis, opposition leaders condemned the police action against the grieving family, with some calling it a violation of basic human rights and demanding Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s resignation.Singh’s family members and residents of his village were trying to take his body to the site of an ongoing protest against Jhota’s killing. Protesters said police blocked their route by parking vehicles and trucks on the road, triggering a confrontation.The situation escalated as protesters accused the police of resorting to a lathicharge and forcibly taking away Singh’s body.
Several protesters were detained. Mansa Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Chaudhary said the police intervened after some elements allegedly attempted to disturb law and order.
He said Singh’s body had been taken into police custody and sent outside the district for a post-mortem examination.The SSP clarified that the police would not perform Singh’s last rites and that further action would be taken only after obtaining the family’s consent. He also said the ongoing sit-in in Mansa remained peaceful and that the police would not take action at the protest site.OPPOSITION LEADERS CONDEMN POLICE ACTION Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia accused the Punjab Police of violating human rights and compared the incident to the events of 1984.
He said taking away a dead man's body from his grieving family was an insult to the deceased.In a social media post, Majithia said Daljit Singh’s family had been sitting on the Sirsa-Mansa road with his body, demanding justice after his suspected drug overdose death, when the police allegedly took the body away by force. Punjab Police once again violating human rights.
The situation is reminiscent of 1984! Police snatching a body and fleeing with it is a grave insult to the deceased!
In Mansa, drugs claimed the life of 35 year old Daljit. As his family sat on the Sirsa Mansa Road with his body, demanding justice, police forcibly took away the body and fled.
Guru Dokhi Bhagwant wants to suppress every truth, but Punjab has awakened. Punjab will no longer be silenced! - 84 ! , !
35 , - ! - , , ! - 84 ! , ! ' 35 , - ' - , , ! @PunjabPoliceInd @DGPPunjabPolice @AAPPunjab @BhagwantMann @ArvindKejriwal @ptcnews @abpsanjha @News18Punjab @ZeePunjabHH @dailyajitnews @JagbaniOnline @RozanaSpokesman @PTribuneOnline @punjabkesari @RepublicTV @ndtv @IndiaToday @aajtak @ZeeNews @News18India @ABPNews @CNNnews18 @ThePrintIndia @the_hindu @IndianExpress @htTweets @EconomicTimes @PTI_News @thetribunechd @ANI @ians_india @news24tvchannel— Bikram Singh Majithia (@bsmajithia) October 27, 2026BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu also condemned the police action, describing it as a violation of basic human rights. He accused the state government of failing to rein in the drug mafia while the police used force against a grieving family.Calling the incident shameful, Bittu demanded Mann’s resignation and accused the authorities of denying the family its right to seek justice. - , ! - , , ! , ! , ! - , ! ' - , , ! , ! , !
Punjab reduced to this dark reality: Turbans tossed to the ground and police running away after snatching a dead body! The Mansa incident is beyond shameful: Forcibly snatching the body of 35-year-old Daljit Singh—who fell victim to drugs—from his grieving family is outright barbaric and a blatant violation of basic human rights.
Drug mafia runs rampant while the government completely fails: Stop silencing the cries for justice. CM Bhagwant Mann must resign immediately. @TV9Bharatvarsh @DDNewslive @BJPCentralMedia @ptcnews @abpsanjha @News18Punjab @ZeePunjabHH @dailyajitnews @JagbaniOnline @RozanaSpokesman @PTribuneOnline @punjabkesari @RepublicTV @ndtv @IndiaToday @aajtak @ZeeNews @News18India @ABPNews @CNNnews18 @ThePrintIndia @the_hindu @IndianExpress @htTweets @EconomicTimes @PTI_News @thetribunechd @ANI @ians_india @news24tvchannel— Ravneet Singh Bittu (@RavneetBittu) October 27, 2026Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar also targeted the chief minister over the incident, questioning the government's response to the death and the police action that followed.Jakhar said the family had been deprived of the opportunity to express its anger after losing a young member to drugs.
He accused the government of taking away the body instead of addressing the concerns of the grieving family. , ? , , @BhagwantMann @BJP4Punjab— Sunil Jakhar (@sunilkjakhar) October 27, 2026Congress leader Amarinder Singh Raja Warring termed the incident “shameful and inhuman”, accusing the Mansa police of taking Singh’s body away from his family.Warring questioned the government's handling of the drug crisis and said Punjab deserved answers over the police action. He accused the authorities of manhandling a grieving family instead of taking action against those responsible for the spread of drugs.- Ends