Mohali: Former Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia had a dramatic start to the day on Friday 27th June as the senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader was arrested in connection with a money laundering case. The early morning operation also included a raid at his residence, where police recovered unaccounted cash worth Rs.161 crore deposited in bank accounts controlled by Majithia, Rs.141 crore channeled abroad through suspected foreign entities without disclosure or explanation in company financial statements and movable and immovable assets owned by Majithia and his family.
The raid on Majithia’s home began at 6am and continued till 4pm even as he was taken to Mohali for questioning. His wife and SAD MLA Genieve Kaur Majithia had earlier said that about 30 persons had stormed into their home for the raid without any warrant or notice. A raid was also conducted at her residence at Chandigarh, where her 80 year old mother was living alone.
Bikram Singh Majithia has been accused of aiding and sheltering drug peddlers during the tenure of the Congress government. Under the previous Congress government, a case was registered against Majithia accusing him of drug trafficking in 2021.
Bikram is the brother-in-law of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal. The case against him was used as political fodder by the Congress and AAP in the election campaign.
Majithia is currently in remand and he is expected to be produced before the court on July 2.
Punjab has been facing a protracted battle against drug abuse for more than a decade, even as successive governments haven’t been able to address the issue satisfactorily. This high-profile arrest is sure to bring the issue back into the spotlight, even as the SAD has increasingly lost its relevance in Punjab’s political landscape.
