Tarn Taran (Punjab), Mar 6 (IANS): The Punjab police Wednesday launched an investigation into the mysterious death of a junior police officer who was found dead near village Jiowala in this frontier district.

The police officer, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Kulbir Singh's body was found near the village Wednesday morning, police said.

The police is looking into the allegation that the ASI could have been killed.

The ASI had gone with a police party to the village Tuesday night to make preventive arrests of farmers' leaders who were to start a "rail roko" ("stop trains") agitation in the area Wednesday for their demands.

Police officials alleged that the villagers held the police party hostage for some time to stop them from detaining farmers' leaders.

"While the rest of the police party came back later, ASI Kulbir Singh was found dead today morning," one police officer said.

However, villagers said that the ASI could have suffered a heart attack when he tried to run.