SAD President Sukhbir Badal Confronts Punjab DGP, Demands Personal Arrest in Political Showdown
In a dramatic political confrontation, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal, accompanied by the party's core committee members, marched to the office of Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on Thursday. The delegation demanded that the police directly register a case against Badal himself, with the SAD chief offering to court arrest immediately.
Allegations of Police Misuse and Political Persecution
Badal launched a scathing attack against the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, accusing it of systematically misusing the state police machinery to target him and the SAD leadership. He claimed this harassment was being conducted under the pretext of investigating the sensitive case involving the 328 missing saroops (holy volumes) of Guru Granth Sahib.
"The AAP government wants to implicate me in the case involving the status of the 328 'swaroop' of Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji," Badal told reporters after his meeting with the DGP. "Instead of genuinely probing the case relating to the swaroops, the hand-picked Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the government is raiding business premises of my chartered accountants."
Surprise Visit to Police Headquarters
The Punjab Police were reportedly taken by surprise when the SAD core committee members, led by Badal, suddenly arrived at the Punjab Police headquarters in Sector 9, Chandigarh. The delegation had come directly from the SAD office located in Sector 28 of the city.
Interestingly, even members of the SAD core committee were unaware of the planned protest until the final moments of their meeting. "During the meeting, Sukhbir informed us that he would be targeted by the police falsely as the SIT probing the case of 328 missing saroops took away documents related to his business from chartered accountants associated with him," revealed a committee member present at the meeting. "He said he would go alone to the DGP, but the core committee members insisted the entire committee would accompany him."
Extended Wait and Direct Challenge to DGP
The SAD leaders spent approximately two and a half hours inside the police headquarters, during which they were made to wait for nearly one hour and fifteen minutes. According to another core committee member, DGP Gaurav Yadav informed them he had to appear before a court for a virtual hearing.
During their confrontation, Badal delivered a direct challenge to the police chief. "You file cases against people close to me. I said, if you have courage, file a case against me. File it against me directly," Badal recounted telling the DGP.
Broader Allegations Against Investigation Team
Badal expanded his accusations beyond personal targeting, claiming that chartered accountants and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) employees associated with him were "being persecuted unjustly by the state police." He specifically mentioned raids on the office of Ashwani and Associates, who handle his income tax filings, as well as his former accountants in Bathinda.
The SAD president further alleged that the SIT constituted for the probe included officers with questionable records, suggesting such officials were deliberately chosen to carry out political instructions rather than conduct a fair investigation.
Political Context and Related Developments
This confrontation occurred just two days after SAD leader and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia, who is Badal's brother-in-law, was released on bail. Majithia had spent seven months in prison in a disproportionate assets case registered against him in June last year.
Earlier on Thursday, before attending the core committee meeting, Majithia had criticized DGP Gaurav Yadav, calling him an "ad hoc DGP" and claiming his appointment violated Supreme Court and Union Public Service Commission guidelines that mandate a permanent DGP appointment.
"Punjab does not need Gaurav Yadav, under whom there has been a total collapse and failure of law and order," Majithia told reporters. "There is absolutely no policing happening here; only Kejriwal is being kept happy. When a permanent DGP is appointed in accordance with Supreme Court guidelines, when the DGP knows he cannot be removed for two years, then he will give priority to law, not to Kejriwal or Bhagwant Mann."
The SAD leadership's direct confrontation with Punjab's top police official marks a significant escalation in the ongoing political tensions between the opposition party and the ruling AAP government, centering on allegations of investigative overreach and political vendetta.
