A video showing anti-drug activist Mohanjeet Singh being detained by police during Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's public programme in Sheron village, Sangrur, has gone viral, triggering a political row over the state government's handling of dissent and Punjab's ongoing drug crisis. The incident occurred as Mohanjeet, who has been campaigning against drug abuse, allegedly climbed onto the rooftop of a house near the event venue, displayed a black cloth, and raised slogans against the state government over what he described as the growing drug menace in the state.

According to police, Mohanjeet was taken into preventive custody following the protest. Sangrur Senior Superintendent of Police Ravjot Grewal said, "He was taken into preventive custody, and after he underwent a medical test, his dope test also tested positive. We released him later. He has returned to his family." The police account suggests that the detention was carried out as a precautionary measure ahead of or during the chief minister's public appearance, with authorities citing the results of the subsequent drug test as part of their justification for the action taken.

The detention video was widely circulated on social media platforms and was also shared by senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, who used the incident to accuse the Mann government of suppressing public dissent. In sharply worded remarks, Majithia invoked the legacy of Shaheed-e-Azam Udham Singh, framing the protest as emerging "from the sacred land" associated with the freedom fighter, and accused the chief minister of arrogance in his handling of public criticism.

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Majithia's comments extended to broader allegations regarding the state government's approach to public engagement, claiming that ordinary citizens raising questions were met with police intimidation rather than genuine dialogue. He characterized the episode as reflective of a pattern in which the government stations police outside the homes of critics and takes them into custody when confronted with uncomfortable questions, describing the chief minister's public interactions as staged rather than substantive.

The controversy adds to the ongoing political debate in Punjab over the state's drug crisis, an issue that has persisted as a major point of contention between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and opposition parties, including the Shiromani Akali Dal. Mohanjeet's protest, and the swift police response to it, has become a flashpoint in this larger debate, with opposition leaders using the incident to question the government's tolerance for public criticism on an issue that continues to affect communities across the state. As the video continues to circulate and draw political reactions, the incident is likely to keep drug policy and the treatment of activists in the public spotlight, particularly as opposition parties seek to use the episode to challenge the AAP government's handling of both dissent and the broader drug epidemic ahead of future political contests in the state.

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