Punjab Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira was arrested by the Punjab Police on Thursday morning in connection with a 2015 drugs case, according to official sources.
A team of Punjab Police, led by Superintendent of Police Manjeet Singh, conducted a raid at Khaira’s residence in Chandigarh around 6 am. The MLA’s son streamed the event on Facebook, revealing the police’s presence and Khaira’s argument with them as he demanded to see the arrest warrant.
Khaira was informed by the police that he was being arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and would be taken to Jalalabad in Fazilka. This arrest came as a result of a special investigation team’s work, headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police Swapan Sharma, formed in April 2023 to investigate the 2015 case.
Khaira, a vocal critic of the AAP government, accused the Bhagwant Mann government of arresting him on false charges and claimed that the state was under ‘jungle raj.’
In response, the Punjab Congress condemned the arrest and accused the AAP government of political vendetta. Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa expressed their solidarity with Khaira.
Warring questioned the police’s actions and the absence of Chandigarh Police during the operation, stating that it reflects the ‘jungle raj’ prevailing in the state.
Bajwa labeled Khaira’s arrest as ‘extremely deplorable’ and accused the AAP government of resorting to vendetta politics. He assured that the Punjab Congress would use all legal means to secure Khaira’s release.
The drugs case, initially registered in March 2015 at Jalalabad in Fazilka, resulted in the conviction of nine individuals under the NDPS Act. The case against Khaira emerged during the police investigation. However, in 2017, the Supreme Court stayed the trial court proceedings against Khaira, who was summoned as an additional accused. He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in 2021 for alleged money laundering linked to the 2015 drug case but was granted bail in 2022. In February 2023, the apex court quashed the summoning order against Khaira in the 2015 drugs case.
