- Anti-drug activist Mohanjeet Singh was detained during Punjab CM Mann's event
- Mohanjeet raised slogans and displayed a black cloth protesting the drug crisis in Punjab
- Shiromani Akali Dal leader accused the government of suppressing dissent and intimidation
A video of anti-drug activist Mohanjeet Singh being detained by police during Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's public programme in Sheron village, Sangrur, has gone viral, triggering a political row over the government's handling of dissent and Punjab's drug crisis.
Mohanjeet, who has been campaigning against drugs, allegedly climbed onto the rooftop of a house near the venue, displayed a black cloth and raised slogans against the state government over the growing drug menace. Police took him into preventive custody.
Sangrur SSP Ravjot Grewal said, "He was taken into preventive custody, and after he underwent a medical test, his dope test also tested positive. We released him later. He has returned to his family."
The detention video was widely shared on social media and also posted by senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, who accused the Mann government of suppressing public dissent. Majithia said, "From the sacred land of Shaheed-e-Azam Udham Singh, a public protest has begun against the arrogance of Guru Dokhi Bhand! He can gather sheep and show a crowd, but when ordinary Punjabis ask questions, he stations police outside their homes and takes them into custody! The situation has now reached a point where honest people and followers of the martyrs are climbing onto the roofs of their homes to display black flags in protest, while the Kachha DGP's police are climbing onto rooftops and intimidating them! When people started asking questions, Guru Dokhi's highhandedness increased! This is not a public interaction, but a conspiracy to silence the voice of the people!"
Mohanjeet, meanwhile, has alleged that he was assaulted in custody and claimed that police gave him something that led to his positive dope test. The allegations have not been independently verified.
The incident has handed the opposition a fresh opportunity to target the AAP government, particularly over its claims of tackling Punjab's drug menace.
