Amritsar, 25 June — A team of Punjab Vigilance Bureau officers, led by AIG Swarandeep Singh, conducted a raid at the residence of senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia on Wednesday, seizing a cache of electronic devices and documents.
The operation, part of a larger statewide crackdown, also targeted 24 other locations. From Majithia’s home, officials recovered 29 mobile phones, 4 laptops, 2 iPads, 8 diaries, and several other documents, officials confirmed.
Swarandeep Singh, recently reinstated after a period of suspension, is currently serving with the Flying Squad of Vigilance Mohali and led the operation.
The raid sparked strong political backlash. Majithia, his wife Ganieve Kaur, and senior SAD leaders, including former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of political vendetta.
“This is nothing but a desperate attempt by the Mann government to silence the opposition,” Majithia said in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter. In the video, he confronts a vigilance official, visibly angered by what he described as an unannounced and aggressive search operation.
His wife, Ganieve Kaur, said the officials entered the house forcefully. “What is happening? I want to know what is going on. How did you barge into my house without my knowledge?” she demanded of the officers on site.
Security was tightened in the area, with heavy police deployment and barricades blocking access to the residence. Akali supporters gathered outside, chanting slogans against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and accusing the state government of misusing power.
The SAD condemned the raids, calling them a political tactic ahead of upcoming political developments in the state.
The Vigilance Bureau’s renewed activity comes months after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing Majithia under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act reported “suspicious financial transactions” linked to firms associated with the Majithia family. The SIT had also expanded its probe to scrutinize overseas dealings.
Majithia was originally booked in December 2021 during the tenure of the then Congress-led state government. The case, tied to alleged drug trafficking links, has since remained a flashpoint in Punjab’s political and legal arenas.
The Mann government has yet to officially comment on Wednesday’s raids.
