Sukhpal Khaira Arrested: Punjab police detained Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Thursday in connection with the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The state police, in an early morning operation, reached Khairaa's residence and conducted a raid in connection with an old case registered in 2015 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in Jalalabad, Fazilka.
The Grand Old Party leader hosted a Facebook Live, where he can be seen arguing with police personnel as they raided his house in the morning. According to news agency ANI, a police official can be seen in the video telling Khaira that a SIT has been formed in an old drug smuggling case. The Congress leader can be seen raising slogans of "Punjab Sarkar Murdabad" as the police personnel detain him. However, Jagran English does not confirm the veracity of the video.
Who Is Sukhpal Singh Khaira?
Sukhpal Singh Khaira is an MLA from Bholath in Kapurthala, Punjab, and Chairman of the All India Kisan Congress. He started his career as a panchayat member from Ramgarh village in Kapurthala district. He joined the Congress Party in 1997, and in the same year he was made the Vice President of the Punjab Youth Congress. Khaira became the secretary of the Punjab Congress two years later. In 2017, he joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), but later came back to Congress in 2019.
What Is The 2015 Case Registered Against Khaira?
The house of the Congress leader was raided in 2015 in relation to a NDPS case. Later, he was taken into custody, and a case was registered against Khehra by Jalalabad police in 2015.
The police had seized drugs at the Fazilka-Punjab border. In this case, the police had seized 1,800 grammes of heroin, 24 gold biscuits, two weapons, 26 cartridges, and two Pakistan SIM cards from the gang.
Sukhpal's name also came up in the case. It is alleged that Khaira used to talk to smugglers through the phone of his personal secretary. Now, he will be produced in court and taken on remand for interrogation. It is noteworthy that other people involved in this case were sentenced in October 2017. A total of nine smugglers, including Manjeet Singh, Harbans Singh, and Baldev Singh, were sentenced.
Sukhpal's Arrest And Future Of INDIA Alliance
The arrest of Sukhpal Khaira is expected to further dent the relations between the AAP and the Congress, which have come together to form the INDIA alliance at the centre. The state unit of the Congress has opposed any tie-up or seat-sharing arrangement with the AAP in Punjab.
Soon after the arrest, Congress lashed out at the Punjab government and called it an abuse of power, saying that the Grand Old Party firmly and unitedly stands against it. "All India Kissan Congress Chairman, Sukhpal Singh Khaira's arrest is a proof of abuse of power and retaliation" Congress said on X.Congress State President Amarinder Singh Raja Brar also condemned the detention of Khaira and termed the action as 'Jungle Raj'.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also condemned the incident and accused the AAP government of misusing the police.
"If someone is accused of something, he must be summoned first and make him join the investigation and if he doesn't answer then arrest him...Punjab Police is being misused. Action is being taken against opposition leaders because they are speaking against the government" said BJP leader Manjinder Sirsa.