Punjab Police file FIRs under non-bailable sections against Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak, days after switching to BJP

This comes days after Sandeep Pathak switched from AAP to the BJP, as seven MPs merged with the ruling camp in the Upper House of Parliament.

The BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have questioned the timing of the FIRs, calling it "political vendetta" against Pathak.

Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma accused the AAP government in the state of using the police to silence the opposition.

In an X post, Sharma wrote, "There is no law in Punjab; now, political vendetta is in effect. Bhagwant Mann and Kejriwal''s fear exposed. The fact that a non-bailable FIR was registered against Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak ji in Punjab as soon as he left AAP and joined BJP clearly shows that Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann are using the police as a political weapon."

"This is not just one case--this is the politics of fear, panic and vendetta. Police were used to silence opposing voices earlier, too--the same is being repeated today. Non-bailable clauses, threats of immediate action are a shameful act of implementing a political agenda under the guise of law," the BJP leader added.

He accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of turning Punjab into a "police state."

"Bhagwant Mann''s government is slowly transforming Punjab into a ''police state''--where dissent = case and truth = punishment. BJP Punjab will not tolerate this bullying and dictatorship. Those who build weapons against opponents of the law will be fought legally and democratically. We will not be afraid; we will not bow down," the post read.

Akali Dal General Secretary Bikram Singh Majithia accused AAP of "selectively targeting the fallouts."

"Hero to Zero...Selective targeting of those who fall out with the Aam Aadmi Party. Sandeep Pathak was once a trusted aide of Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal, a key power centre. If he was wrong, then he was following his bosses, Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann. Then, who was in collusion with him, and why are they not being booked now? After shifting loyalties, FIRs under non-bailable sections point to possible vendetta politics. From influence to investigation, the shift raises serious questions," Majithia wrote on X. (ANI)