In a dramatic turn of political events in Punjab, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Majithia was arrested on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, by the Punjab Vigilance Department in a disproportionate assets case. The arrest followed a raid at his residence in Amritsar, intensifying the ongoing political feud between SAD and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government.

In a video statement prior to his arrest, Majithia questioned the overwhelming presence of officials, expressing doubt about the legitimacy of the operation. “Look at how many officers are here to take me away. I don’t know if something was planted in my house… but look at the restlessness,” he said. He also mentioned that some people were locked in a room, and then he was taken away, raising concerns over the procedural conduct of the raid.

In a second statement, the senior SAD leader alleged that the entire exercise was politically motivated, driven by the frustration of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal. According to Majithia, “This morning, the vigilance team forcibly entered my residence. The press was not allowed inside, and lawyers were also pushed around. The Aam Aadmi Party government is shredding the law into pieces.” He continued, “Bhagwant Mann, your threats cannot silence me. I will always raise my voice for Punjab and Punjabis.”

Arvind Kejriwal, reacting to the arrest, made a bold statement emphasizing his government’s war on drugs in Punjab. He said, “The people who first brought drugs into Punjab were ministers in another party. They transported drugs in their own vehicles, supplied them house to house, and even sheltered international smugglers. A clear message is being sent in Punjab that no matter how big the leader is, no one will be spared.”

Kejriwal’s remarks directly referred to previous drug-related allegations against senior leaders of opposition parties, especially those from the SAD-BJP alliance and Congress, during their time in power. His statement reinforces the AAP government’s public stance of cleansing Punjab’s political system of criminal and corrupt elements.

Meanwhile, Ganieve Kaur Majithia, wife of Bikram Majithia and SAD MLA, accused the Vigilance Department of entering their home without proper legal documentation. “30-35 people entered our house. They neither showed us any warrant nor any other document. They just stormed into our house and started checking our personal belongings,” she said. She called the operation unlawful and said that they would continue to fight back against what she termed political targeting.

Adding to the chorus, SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema accused the AAP government of orchestrating the arrest to divert attention from their failures. “Today, they staged a drama to divert people’s attention from corruption. Bikram Singh Majithia was earlier arrested in a fake drug case, but nothing came out of it. Today, they are reminding us of the emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi 50 years ago. Arvind Kejriwal is following in her footsteps,” said Cheema.

SAD spokesperson and Majithia’s lawyer, Arshdeep Singh Kler, emphasized the legal route and criticized the government for misusing administrative machinery. “We will present this before the Court. They have been levelling drug allegations against Bikram Singh Majithia for years, but to this day, they have no evidence. They lost the case in the Supreme Court. If they think they can suppress the truth through false cases like this, they won’t be able to do it.”

The Punjab government, on the other hand, remained firm in its defence. Finance and Excise Minister Harpal Singh Cheema reiterated that a massive campaign titled ‘Yudh Nashe Ke Viruddh’ (War Against Drugs) is underway across the state. He said, “When the Akali Dal and the BJP were in power, when the Congress party was in power, these people sold drugs and pushed the youth of Punjab towards drugs. The Aam Aadmi Party government is fighting against this. No person is above the law. Any person who was involved in the drug business, whether small or big, action will be taken against him.”

The Bikram Majithia arrest comes amidst rising political tension in Punjab, especially after the AAP’s recent bypoll win in Ludhiana West. Many political observers see this arrest as both a message and a maneuver — to reinforce AAP's anti-corruption, anti-drug narrative while simultaneously keeping its rivals on the defensive.

Bikram Majithia has had a history of being accused in drug-related cases, though no conviction has followed. His earlier arrest in a 2022 drug case, which he later contested in the Supreme Court, ended with the state government facing legal defeat. The present arrest, however, shifts focus from the drug case to alleged disproportionate assets, widening the legal web around him.

The timing of the arrest has not gone unnoticed. With Punjab’s political climate heating up ahead of the next assembly session and future elections, many believe this may serve as a litmus test of AAP’s governance credibility. Kejriwal’s bold remarks indicate that the government is positioning itself as the sole force capable of rooting out deep-seated corruption, no matter how powerful the accused may be.

The Shiromani Akali Dal, however, is mobilizing its resources to counter this narrative. With increasing media attention and legal battles ahead, the party is preparing for a prolonged political and legal confrontation. The echoes of the Emergency era being evoked by SAD leaders also suggest a planned strategy to garner public sympathy by portraying the AAP government as authoritarian.

In summary, Bikram Majithia’s arrest marks a significant escalation in Punjab’s political landscape. With Arvind Kejriwal asserting zero tolerance for drug-related crimes and opposition leaders alleging state-sponsored vendetta, the unfolding situation is bound to have long-term political consequences. Whether this action leads to meaningful reform or triggers a new wave of political confrontation, only time will tell — but for now, Punjab's war against drugs has entered a high-voltage phase, with leaders, laws, and legacies all under scrutiny.

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