‘Police treating protesters in inhumane manner’: Gargajj; Pargat demands SSP’s dismissal as protesters reach Mansa amid apprehension

A large crowd gathered on Wednesday at the dharna spot in Mansa, a day after police detained Lakhbir Singh Lakha Sidhana and Bhana Sidhu from the site, where the protesters have been seeking justice for Parvinder Singh Jhota for the past 16 days.

Heavy police deployments, with barricades and trucks, were visible across all the roads leading to Mansa. Despite some visuals allegedly showing police forcefully detaining individuals, many managed to reach the protest site.

Protesters also gathered for a dharna outside the Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) office, located a few meters away from the main site. The protest was still ongoing at the time of reporting.

Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj has strongly condemned the alleged police brutality against Sikh protesters in Mansa and expressed deep outrage over the disrespect towards Sikh articles of faith and turbans during the crackdowns. He said, “Police used excessive force, detaining protesters and treating Amritdhari Sikhs in an inhumane manner.”

In a press statement released on Wednesday, the Jathedar demanded strict and immediate disciplinary action by the Punjab Police against officials responsible for dishonoring Sikh sacred symbols. “Instead of protecting citizens and cracking down on drug syndicates, the Punjab government is subjecting common people to state brutality,” the Jathedar said.

Opposition parties, which have been targeting the Bhagwant Mann government over alleged drug menace in Punjab, said that “snatching a dead man’s body” and assaulting those seeking accountability and justice for a “drug overdose” death is disgraceful.

Punjab Congress chief Pargat Singh asked how Mansa Police came to know so quickly that Daljit did not die of a drug overdose and that it was a murder case.

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In a statement, Pargat said the functioning of the police administration had come under serious scrutiny. He questioned the basis for declaring the death a murder without an impartial investigation if there was a suspicion of death due to a drug overdose. He demanded a transparent investigation and accountability from the officials responsible. He demanded the dismissal of the Mansa SSP over alleged negligence in the death of Parminder Singh Jhota in Mansa and the developments that followed. He has also called upon CM Bhagwant Mann and DGP Gaurav Yadav to resign, taking moral responsibility for the situation.

Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia says, “So this is a very, very, very serious issue. The situation that is being created in Punjab can be directly exploited by Pakistan. Removing the turban (dastar) of Gursikhs, dragging them on the street, pulling them by their hair, throwing them from one side of the road to another, beating them with sticks on their private parts, taking someone’s corpse away right from their mother’s hands and lap and fleeing; people will not tolerate this. This is an attack on human rights.”

Addressing the crowd from the protest site, Bhana Sidhu claimed he had escaped police custody on Tuesday evening to reach the dharna.

In an official statement, the Action Committee accused the AAP of imitating the BJP’s tactics in Delhi. A committee member said, “We saw many individuals in plain clothes alongside police; we strongly suspect they were AAP workers who beat up protesters on Tuesday and assisted in picking up several leaders.”

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The committee also highlighted the detention of a young female protester, Arvinder Kaur, who had participated in Tuesday afternoon’s protest march accompanying Daljeet Singh’s body from Bhame Kalan village to Mansa. According to the committee, police took her to her house and asked her family to pack clothes for a four- to five-day stay, raising suspicions that a case may have been registered against her.

There is no update on the whereabouts of Tek Singh, from Bhame Kalan, who was arrested on Tuesday. Tek, an anti-drug activist, was leading the protest in Bhame Kalan demanding an investigation into Daljit Singh’s alleged drug overdose death before the Mansa committee arrived to support the family. Video footage showed police forcefully taking him away, and there has been no word on his status since.

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal also slammed the AAP, alleging the administrative system had “totally collapsed”, and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was “running away” from the field after realising people would reject him in 2027. Badal told the media “never has Punjab witnessed such a situation” while referring to cases like that of Daljit Singh (in Mansa), whose mortal remains were forcibly taken away from the family by police.

“As there is no commander in Punjab, police are also acting on their own, which is unprecedented,” he said.