The arrest of SAD (Shiromani Akali Dal) leader Bikram Singh Majithia has sparked a major political controversy in Punjab. The opposition has slammed the move, calling it a clear misuse of power by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). On the other hand, the AAP government is defending the arrest, saying it’s part of their crackdown on major players in the state’s drug network.

Supporters of SAD began gathering at Amb Sahib Gurdwara to protest what they are calling AAP’s “vendetta politics.” By morning, many party workers had started arriving in Mohali from across the state. To maintain law and order, police detained some of them on their way to the city.

Majithia was arrested by the Vigilance Bureau (VB) on June 25. He is accused of being involved in laundering over ₹540 crore of drug money. A Mohali court sent him to seven days’ custody with the vigilance authorities on June 26.

According to the FIR, the Vigilance Bureau claims its initial investigation found that more than ₹540 crore in drug money was funneled through different channels, allegedly with Majithia’s help. This case is linked to a 2021 drugs case investigated by a Punjab Police Special Investigation Team (SIT), which was based on a 2018 report by the state’s anti-drug Special Task Force.

Majithia had previously been arrested in the same case and spent over five months in Patiala jail. He was released on bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in August 2022.