Nearly 48 hours after their detention, gangster-turned-politician Lakhvir Singh Lakha Sidhana and Mohanjit Singh Sheron were produced before a Mansa court and remanded in police custody for four days.They were detained on Tuesday along with 20-30 other protesters while they were taking the body of 32-year-old farmer Daljit Singh from his native Bhamme Khurd village to Mansa town, demanding justice for his death. Daljit allegedly died of a drug overdose.They were formally arrested on Wednesday and produced before the court through video conferencing. Harpal Singh Khara, counsel for Lakha Sidhana, said, “We have filed a petition stating that Lakha was illegally arrested. Besides, the court has ordered daily medical examinations of Lakha and Mohanjit. It has also allowed their counsels to meet them through video conferencing daily.”Mohanjit recently came into the limelight after he allegedly showed a black flag to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann during the latter’s visit to Sheron village in Sangrur district. He was allegedly thrashed by the police.Meanwhile, Punjab Students Union (PSU) Mansa district president Arwinder Kaur Azad, who was among those detained, was released on Wednesday evening. She returned to the protest site over the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa on Thursday and was honoured by Jhota’s parents for her role in the ongoing fight for justice.Jhota’s mother also handed over an envelope containing some money to Arwinder on behalf of the anti-drug task force formed by Jhota, saying that she belonged to a poor family, but was part of the ongoing protest since October 13.Arwinder alleged that the police had thrashed her and other protesters despite them being unarmed. Wearing a crepe bandage on her left arm, while addressing the protesters, she said, “The police thrashed us before bundling into their vehicles. They first took us to a local police station and then kept moving us from one place to another until midnight. Later, we were taken to the Nandgarh police station in Bathinda. After keeping us on the move throughout the day, they finally released me at my native village Ajnauda Khurd in Patiala district last evening.”She added, “I refused to leave and said everyone should be released. I asked the police why only I was being let off. Daljit’s father, cousin and other relatives were also detained along with us.”Notably, the police on Wednesday registered a case against 30-40 unidentified persons on the statement of Kuldeep Singh, a Punjab Armed Police (PAP) personnel posted with the ARP in Ferozepur. He said he had been deployed for law and order duty in Mansa since October 13.In his statement, Kuldeep said that on October 27, while on duty at the Ramdittewala Chowk, he learnt that some people were taking away the body of a youth from Bhamme Kalan. At around 5.30 pm, when senior officers tried to stop them, a group of 30-40 people allegedly armed with sharp-edged weapons attacked the police.He alleged that one of the protesters hit him on the head with an iron rod, causing a serious injury. Other police personnel were also injured, and their uniforms were torn during the scuffle. He further alleged that the group tried to ram vehicles into police personnel and obstructed government duty. He said he could identify the attackers and sought legal action against them.The other protesters, reportedly including some relatives of Daljit, remain in police custody, but their whereabouts are still unknown. Earlier in the day, the police took some detainees to the Civil Hospital in Bathinda for medical examinations.Mansa SSP Vaibhav Chaudhary said, “Nearly 20 people were taken into preventive custody. Some of them, or others identified with the help of video footage showing the attack on police personnel, will be named in the attempt to murder case.” However, he did not disclose the names of those detained or arrested, saying a written statement would be released. Sources said that 14 persons were nominated in the FIR.