Mohali (Punjab) [India], July 2: Tensions flared in Punjab on Wednesday after police detained several Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) supporters protesting the arrest of senior party leader Bikram Singh Majithia near the Mohali court. Majithia was scheduled to be produced in court following his remand with the Vigilance Bureau.
Security was significantly tightened around the court complex. SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal claimed he was stopped and detained by police while on his way to a gurdwara in Mohali, sparking sharp criticism from the former Deputy Chief Minister.
“Kejriwal has taken over Punjab. The democratic rights of Punjabis have ended. He has imposed an emergency to raise ₹10,000 crore from Punjab,” alleged Badal, accusing former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of ruling Punjab by proxy and silencing opposition voices.
Majithia, an influential SAD leader and former minister, was arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau in a corruption case. The Mohali court had earlier sent him to seven days of police custody on June 26 in connection with a money laundering case linked to drug trafficking. He is due to be produced in court again today.
Public Prosecutor Advocate Ferry Sofat revealed to ANI that Majithia has undisclosed income amounting to ₹540 crore, with no satisfactory explanation provided to investigators.
Sofat stated that Saraya Industries — a company operated by Majithia’s family since the 1950s — showed sudden surges in cash deposits after Majithia became a minister in 2007, with unexplained differences totaling ₹161 crore. During his second term as a minister (2012-13), deposits rose further, revealing an unaccounted gap of ₹236 crore. Additional discrepancies of ₹1.5 crore were found in his personal assets.
“Moreover, a foreign loan was either left unpaid or settled unusually with a profitable company. The total unexplained amount sums up to ₹540 crore,” Sofat said, adding that Majithia allegedly threatened investigating officers during his arrest, a confrontation captured on video.
The prosecutor confirmed that these findings stem from a fresh case of disproportionate assets uncovered during an SIT-led probe, which led the court to grant Majithia seven days of police remand.
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