Sukhpal Singh Khaira, a Congress MLA, was taken into custody by Punjab police on Thursday in relation to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. A team from the Punjab Police raided Khaira’s home on Thursday early in the morning in connection with an old case that had been filed in 2015 in Jalalabad, Fazilka, under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. In a Facebook Live video that he was hosting, Khaira was seen arguing with police officers as they searched his home this morning. In the video, a police officer can be heard informing Khaira that a SIT has been established in an old drug smuggling case.
As the police detain Khaira, he can also be seen shouting “Punjab Sarkar Murdabad” in the video. Sukhpal Khaira is the chairman of the All India Kisan Congress and an MLA from Bholath in the Punjabi city of Kapurthala. Partap Singh Bajwa, a senior leader and leader of the Congress party in the Punjab assembly, questioned the detention of Khaira and claimed that the AAP government in Punjab had resorted to low level vendetta politics.
“The arrest of Senior Congress Leader and Bolath MLA @SukhpalKhaira is extremely deplorable. The @AAPPunjab
govt has stooped to an all-time low and resorted to vendetta politics. Sukhpal Singh Khaira has been outspoken and raised his voice against the wrongdoings and irregularities committed by the CM @BhagwantMann’s govt. The Punjab Congress under the ambit of law will leave no stone unturned to get him released” Partap Singh Bajwa said in a post on X.