Chandigarh, March 23 -- Police detained several opposition leaders and used water cannons to disperse protesters as they tried to force their way through barricades here on Sunday to 'gherao' Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann's residence during a joint stir to demand the arrest of former minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, accused of abetting the suicide of a state warehousing corporation official, Gagandeep Singh Randhawa.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Congress and the BJP had announced that they will jointly 'gherao' (lay siege to) CM Mann's residence to press their demand for the arrest of Bhullar. Besides leaders of a breakaway faction of the SAD, and the CPI also joined the protest.

Leader of Opposition in the Punjab assembly Partap ...