BJP MP Harbhajan Singh has bowled a political ‘doosra’ this time, with the Punjab Police confirming that a viral video he had shared showing a young man allegedly taking drugs is indeed from Jagraon in Punjab.
Harbhajan Singh had quoted a video posted on X by BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu and had taken a swipe at critics, saying that even the Jagraon bridge would now be declared to be in Rajasthan by “paid trolls”
The political exchange comes amid a war of words over Punjab’s drug problem, with the Opposition using viral videos to target the Bhagwant Mann government. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been highlighting its crackdown against drugs and drug networks. The viral clip was turned into a political attack on the AAP government’s handling of the drug problem until it backfired when the facts came out about the location where it was taken. Punjab has long faced a serious substance-use crisis, with opioids, heroin, synthetic drugs and diverted pharmaceuticals among the main concerns. Drug trafficking is aided by Punjab’s location along the Pakistan border with smugglers increasingly using drones, GPS-enabled payloads and encrypted communication. Government action combines arrests and seizures with de-addiction and rehabilitation but access to treatment and action against major trafficking networks remain challenges.
This time, the police said the video may be old but the man seen taking drugs under Jagraon Bridge was arrested by the Ludhiana police on August 12.
