Harbhajan’s ‘Doosra’ on Punjab Drug Video Gets Police Backing
Ludhiana Police confirms viral clip is from Jagraon, but says the video is old and no active drug use was found at the site
- Police confirmed the viral footage was recorded near Jagraon Bridge in Ludhiana.
- The man seen in the video was arrested by Ludhiana Police on August 12.
- Police said the video is old and found no active drug use during a site inspection.
- The development follows Harbhajan Singh’s earlier controversy over a Rajasthan video shared as Punjab footage.
GG News Bureau
Chandigarh, 24th Aug: BJP Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh’s latest social media post on Punjab’s drug problem has received confirmation about the location of the viral footage, with Ludhiana Police saying the video was recorded near Jagraon Bridge.
The development comes days after Harbhajan faced criticism over an earlier viral video that Punjab Police identified as being from Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan.
The latest video was originally shared by BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu, who alleged that young men were openly using drugs beneath Ludhiana’s Jagraon Bridge. Harbhajan Singh reposted it and took a swipe at critics, questioning whether they would now claim that the Jagraon Bridge was also located in Rajasthan.
However, Ludhiana Police subsequently inspected the location. Additional DCP (Operations) Sandeep Kumar Wadhera and the Kotwali SHO visited the area and said the video appeared to be old. Police reported that no one was found taking drugs at the location during their inspection.
Police also said the person seen using drugs in the footage had been arrested by Ludhiana Police on August 12. This established that the footage was linked to Jagraon, although it did not represent the current situation at the site.
The episode has added another layer to the political confrontation over Punjab’s drug problem. Opposition leaders have been using videos and other material to target the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government, while the ruling party has highlighted its anti-drug operations.
According to Ludhiana Police, the Kotwali police station area has seen 74 cases registered under the NDPS Act in recent days. Police also said 110 people identified as drug-dependent had been shifted to OOAT clinics, while 50 were undergoing treatment at de-addiction centres.
The latest controversy follows Harbhajan Singh’s August 11 post featuring a video of two men appearing to be in an intoxicated or drug-affected state. Punjab Police subsequently clarified that the footage was from Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, rather than Punjab.
Harbhajan has continued to focus on Punjab’s drug crisis despite the earlier fact-check, arguing that the larger issue of drug abuse in the state cannot be dismissed merely by questioning the location of individual videos. The latest Jagraon footage has given him a fresh point of political attack, although police have stressed that the video is not evidence of current open drug use at the bridge.
The exchange comes amid continuing political debate over Punjab’s efforts to combat drug trafficking and addiction, with the BJP targeting the state government and the AAP highlighting arrests, seizures and rehabilitation measures.
