SAD chief Sukhbir Badal detained in Mohali

Chandigarh

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and several senior party leaders were detained in Mohali on Wednesday while trying to express support for SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia. Majithia, arrested in a disproportionate assets case, was presented before a Mohali court after his seven-day Vigilance Bureau (VB) remand ended.

Heavy police security was deployed near the VB office and the district court. Badal, along with leaders Sikander Singh Maluka and Parambans Singh Bunty Romana, was stopped and detained near Amb Sahib Gurdwara as they attempted to walk towards it. In a video, Badal can be heard asking police to let him pay obeisance at the gurdwara, questioning if the AAP government was afraid of Akali workers.

Badal accused the AAP of suppressing democratic rights and declared that Akali workers would not be intimidated. He claimed that several SAD workers were detained across Punjab, including in Amritsar, Beas, and Patiala, calling it an undeclared emergency.

In a social media post, Badal alleged Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is rattled by the growing support for Majithia. He warned that the Akali Dal would resist the government’s repressive actions and launch a strong public movement.

Majithia was arrested on June 25 for allegedly laundering over ₹540 crore in drug money, linked to a 2021 drugs case based on a 2018 report. He previously spent over five months in jail before getting bail in August 2022.

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Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday alleged that many party workers heading to Mohali to show support for Bikram Singh Majithia were detained by police. He claimed several workers from Amritsar, Beas, and other areas were held at home. Badal accused the AAP government of imposing an undeclared emergency to silence dissent.