Punjab Police have registered a FIR against Shiromani Akali Dal senior leader and former state minister Bikram Singh Majithia. Police booked him under nine separate charges for allegedly storming the Majitha police station in Amritsar district on May 31. Besides Majithia, the FIR names SGPC member Jodh Singh Samra, advocate Bikramjit Singh Baath, SAD Amritsar Rural president Raja Ladeh, party leader Sahib Singh Hamja, and around 50 unidentified individuals.
Why Was Jobanpreet Singh Arrested in the First Place
The entire episode traces back to an FIR registered on May 30 at the Majitha police station itself, one day before the police station storming incident.
According to DSP Kamalmeet Singh, Jobanpreet Singh had been named among 15 unidentified persons accused in a case. The alleged case was assault on an AAP worker Paramjit Singh Pamma and the snatching of a gold chain during the recently municipal elections. Based on this, police picked him up from his residence at around 5:30 am on May 31 and brought him to Majitha police station for questioning.
The SAD and Jobanpreet’s family, however, rejected this version entirely. His father Mukhwant Singh stated in a petition before the Punjab and Haryana High Court that Jobanpreet had served as the election agent of an SAD candidate during the municipal elections, in which the AAP had lost in Majitha. Joban’s family argued that the FIR against him and his detention were a direct consequence of political rivalry arising from the election results.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court, acting on that habeas corpus petition, ordered Jobanpreet’s release. Justice Alok Jain found that Jobanpreet was arrested without furnishing the written grounds of arrest in violation of Article 22(1) of the Constitution of India and the binding directions of the Supreme Court. The state had also conceded that no notice under Section 35 of the BNS was served to him. The court made it clear that Jobanpreet was required to be released in light of settled provisions of law.
What the FIR Against Majithia Says
The FIR against Majithia was registered on May 31 at Majitha police station and made public four days later, after the Amritsar court directed the police to share its details on a petition filed by Majithia’s counsel.
According to the FIR, Majithia allegedly reached the Majitha police station with more than 50 supporters while police were questioning Jobanpreet Singh. The group allegedly entered the premises without authorisation and searched various parts of the building, including rooms and lock-up areas. Rural SSP Sohail Mir said senior officers, including the SHO and DSP, intervened and managed to regain control of the situation.
The FIR further states that when police personnel tried to stop the group, one supporter allegedly brandished a pistol and waved it in the air, creating panic among officers. Investigators alleged that Majithia and his associates entered restricted areas and tried to escort Jobanpreet Singh out of an interrogation room towards the main gate. Police also alleged the group damaged official records and case files.
Nine Charges Under BNS and the Arms Act
The case has been registered under nine sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including assault on a public servant on duty, obstructing a public servant, snatching, rescuing a person from lawful custody, destruction or concealment of evidence, criminal intimidation, unlawful assembly, and rioting. Provisions of the Arms Act have also been invoked.
The specific sections applied include BNS 132 (assault against a public servant), 221 (intentional obstruction of a public servant), 304 (snatching), 62 (attempt to commit offence), 263 (rescuing from lawful custody), 241 (destruction of evidence), 351(2) (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication), 190 (offence by unlawful assembly), and 191(3) (rioting while armed with a deadly weapon), along with Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act.
SIT Formed, Lookout Circular Issued, Majithia Untraceable
Punjab Police constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and launched raids at several locations linked to Majithia, including his residences in Amritsar and Chandigarh. The former minister has remained untraceable since.
The Punjab Police also issued a lookout circular (LOC) against Majithia. While police officials remained tight-lipped, the Aam Aadmi Party confirmed the LOC on its official X handle. Majithia’s wife and MLA Ganieve Kaur accused the government of misleading the public on this, saying Majithia’s passport had already been deposited with a court and the police were fully aware of the fact. “Majithia has neither fled nor intends to flee. He is exercising his legal rights and remains engaged with his legal team in pursuing the matter through the courts,” she said.
After a court order, police handed over a copy of the FIR to Majithia’s legal team at the Amritsar district court complex. His counsel Bhagwant Singh Sialka said the legal team would move for anticipatory bail either before a local court or the Punjab and Haryana High Court once the FIR copy was received.
SAD Cries Political Vendetta, Links It to Civic Poll Results
The Shiromani Akali Dal has come out with sharp guns blazing against the Bhagwant Mann government, rejecting the entire episode as a textbook case of political vendetta rooted in the outcome of the Punjab Municipal Elections 2026.
The civic body polls, held on May 27 with results declared on May 29, saw the Aam Aadmi Party deliver a dominant performance across Punjab, winning over 860 wards out of 1,897 contested. However, in Majitha, considered Bikram Singh Majithia’s home turf, the SAD put up a stiff fight. AAP won 7 of the 13 seats in the Majitha Municipal Council while SAD secured 6. During counting, Majithia had alleged irregularities and demanded a recount as the contest remained tense.
SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal called the police action a planned operation by the Punjab government and a direct outcome of frustration following the civic polls. He accused the ruling AAP of vendetta politics. The party’s leaders in Jalandhar also noted that the manner in which Majithia had been targeted without warrant or prior notice amounted to state-sponsored intimidation.
During the elections themselves, Majithia had attacked the Mann government openly, saying, “Majitha is witnessing open hooliganism, intimidation and complete lawlessness because the police seem more interested in protecting Bhagwant Mann’s political chair than safeguarding the rights of ordinary people.”
Even former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, now with the BJP, joined the criticism. He said the AAP government “believes that cheap sensationalism, political vendetta, and ruthless repression are substitutes for governance.” He called the case against Majithia a shocking example of targeted harassment and political persecution.
SAD workers also staged protests across Punjab after Majithia’s FIR became public. In Jalandhar, party workers led by SAD Urban president Kulwant Singh Manan burnt the effigy of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and said the Mann government was working under pressure from Delhi’s AAP leadership and indulging in vendetta politics.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, reacting to the criticism, said the people of Punjab had rejected parties that indulge in divisive politics. “People have defeated politics of hatred and supported development politics,” he told reporters.
Background: A Leader With a Long Legal Trail
This is not the first time Majithia has been at the centre of serious legal proceedings. He was booked under the NDPS Act on December 20, 2021, based on a 2018 anti-drug Special Task Force report. Majithia spent more than five months in Patiala jail and walked out in August 2022 after the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted him bail.
More recently, Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria granted sanction to prosecute Majithia in a disproportionate assets case registered by the Vigilance Bureau. The investigation alleged laundering of over Rs 540 crore in drug money through shell companies, hawala networks, and benami properties during his ministerial tenure from 2007 to 2017. The Punjab Vigilance Bureau also filed a 40,000-page charge-sheet in the case before a Mohali court, with statements of more than 200 witnesses on record and scrutiny of 400 bank accounts completed.
What Happens Next
The SIT is expected to continue pursuing arrests in the case. Majithia’s legal team is preparing an anticipatory bail application for filing before a sessions court or the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The High Court’s order releasing Jobanpreet Singh on grounds of unconstitutional arrest has already added a legal question mark over the foundation of the police’s version of events.
With Punjab Assembly elections due in 2027, this case has sharpened the political battle between the ruling AAP and the SAD. Every development in this matter is likely to be watched closely across the state as both sides dig in deeper.