2 FIRs against Sandeep Pathak in Punjab; BJP Cries Vendetta, Announces Governor Meeting

Sandeep Pathak FIR : Non-bailable cases registered in two districts days after Pathak led defection of seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs to BJP; party points to series of state actions against defectors since the switch

North Desk Bureau

Chandigarh, May 2

Punjab Police have registered two FIRs against Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak under non-bailable sections in two separate districts, sources said on Saturday — the latest in a string of actions by the AAP government against lawmakers who defected to the BJP just eight days ago.

A Punjab Police team arrived at Pathak’s Pandara Park residence in New Delhi, but the MP had already left before their arrival. Pathak said he was unaware of the FIRs and had not been contacted by the police, adding that he had always served with honesty and integrity.

Pathak, who served as AAP’s general secretary (organisation) and was considered the party’s most powerful organisational mind, has been described as the driving force behind the defection on April 24. Seven of AAP’s ten Rajya Sabha MPs — Pathak, Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney and Swati Maliwal — quit, alleging the party had strayed from its principles, values and core morals. Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan subsequently accepted the merger with the BJP, reducing AAP’s strength in the Upper House to three.

Sandeep Pathak FIR: A Series of Actions Since the Switch

The FIRs against Pathak are the most direct state action yet in what the BJP is calling a systematic campaign of pressure against the defectors.

The Punjab government had earlier withdrawn security cover for both Raghav Chadha and Harbhajan Singh following the defection. In Harbhajan Singh’s case, the withdrawal was followed by a mob attack on his Jalandhar residence.

Singh alleged in his petition before the Punjab and Haryana High Court that the security was withdrawn without any fresh threat assessment, and that police remained a mute spectator while his house was “attacked by mobsters” during a protest by AAP workers. The High Court issued notice to the Punjab government and directed that no harm should come to Singh and his family until the next hearing on May 12.

On Rajinder Gupta, the pressure came through regulatory channels. A team of 30-odd officials from the Punjab Pollution Control Board raided the Trident Group’s Dhaula unit in Barnala district on Thursday evening, days after Trident Group chairman emeritus Rajinder Gupta switched to the BJP. State authorities maintained that the inspection was part of routine environmental monitoring, even as opposition leaders questioned the sudden scrutiny of one of Punjab’s largest industrial houses immediately following the political switch.

Jakhar: FIRs Meant to Divert Attention From CM’s Assembly Conduct

Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar said the party was not intimidated, and made a pointed charge: the FIRs against Pathak were aimed at diverting attention from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s alleged conduct of arriving in an inebriated condition during the special Labour Day session of the Punjab Assembly on Friday.

Dramatic scenes had erupted in the Assembly on Friday after the Opposition raised allegations that the Chief Minister had entered the House under the influence of alcohol, leading to protests, a walkout by Congress legislators, and demands for alcohol tests for the CM and all MLAs. AAP denied the allegations and said the session had been convened to honour workers.

Jakhar alleged double standards: while BJP MPs were being targeted, the state government had extended police protection to its own MLA facing corruption charges who had previously been jailed. He said those once praised as loyal AAP insiders were being labelled negatively overnight after leaving the party — an attempt, he alleged, to pressure remaining members and prevent further defections. The BJP president announced the party would meet Governor Gulab Chand Kataria to demand accountability, and cautioned government officials against acting as instruments of political retaliation.

Jakhar also said the people of Punjab were watching and would respond in the 2027 elections.

‘Why Were FIRs Not Filed Earlier?’

After Sandeep Pathak FIR, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla sharpened the political attack with a three-part challenge on timing. “If these cases existed from the beginning, why were FIRs not filed earlier? If he was corrupt, why was he kept in the party for so long, especially when he was the general secretary (organisation)? Has any new material surfaced in the last few days, or has the alleged corruption occurred only now?” he wrote on X, accusing the AAP leadership of using Punjab Police as a political weapon.

Following the Sandeep Pathak FIR, SAD general secretary Bikram Singh Majithia also weighed in, accusing the AAP government of conducting raids at the behest of Kejriwal and Mann to settle political scores, and questioning why action was being taken only after the defection.

AAP’s Counter-Move

The AAP government has not commented directly on the Sandeep Pathak FIR. However, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has announced he will meet President Droupadi Murmu on May 5 to demand the recall of the seven MPs who merged with the BJP — a move that has no clear constitutional mechanism but signals the party’s intent to keep the political pressure on.

Meanwhile on Friday, AAP secured a confidence motion in the 117-member Punjab Assembly, where it holds a majority with 94 MLAs. The vote was widely seen as a show of strength following the Rajya Sabha defections.