A video shared by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh in connection with the alleged impact of drugs in Punjab has become the subject of a political dispute after Punjab Police said the footage was from Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar and not Punjab.
The issue was highlighted in a communication issued by the Punjab government on Tuesday. It said the video showed two men apparently struggling to walk and had been circulated as an example of the alleged ‘zombie drug’ situation in Punjab. Punjab Police subsequently clarified that the location shown in the video was Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan.
The clarification has prompted AAP leaders to question the use of the video in the political debate over drug abuse in Punjab. Punjab minister Dr Baljit Kaur alleged that the video from Rajasthan was being portrayed as a Punjab incident and accused the BJP of attempting to harm the state’s image.
AAP raises questions over social media claims
AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal also criticised the BJP over the episode, questioning why several BJP-linked individuals had circulated what the party described as the same incorrect claim.
The issue centres on the verification of the video rather than the broader debate over drug abuse, with the AAP arguing that footage from another state should not be used to depict the situation in Punjab.
Punjab Police’s clarification, cited in the government communication, identified the location as Sri Ganganagar. The material provided did not contain further details about when the footage was recorded or the circumstances involving the two men shown in it.
The controversy comes against the backdrop of the Punjab government’s campaign against drug abuse. The government has cited enforcement figures as well as community-based measures under its ‘Yudh Nasheyan Virudh’ campaign.
According to figures included in the government communication, approximately 73,541 cases under the NDPS Act were registered between 2022 and 2026, with around 98,596 arrests made during the same period.
Government cites anti-drug measures
The government has also referred to initiatives including ‘Pind De Pehredar’ and a mobile application aimed at increasing participation by villages in efforts against drug abuse.
The AAP communication said the issue of drugs remains a serious concern in Punjab and that political parties should continue to question the government and debate its response. At the same time, it argued that such discussions should rely on verified data and incidents.
The episode has consequently become a political dispute over the use of social media content to characterise the drug situation in Punjab. While the video was used to raise concerns over drug abuse, the Punjab Police clarification that it originated in Rajasthan has become the central point of the controversy.
The material supplied for the report contains the Punjab government and AAP’s allegations but does not include a response from Harbhajan Singh to the police clarification or to the criticism levelled against his post.
