Bikram Majithia Row: Who Is Jobanpreet, and Why Bikram Majithia Was Named in FIR

Bikram Majithia row: A full explainer on the Majitha police station attack case — what happened on May 30, who Jobanpreet Singh is, why Bikram Majithia was named in the FIR, and why the recently held Punjab civic elections are at the centre of this political storm.

North Desk Correspondent

Chandigarh, June 1

In the space of 72 hours, a protest outside a small police station in Amritsar district has snowballed into one of the sharpest political confrontations Punjab has seen in recent memory. The Majitha police station row has it all — a pre-dawn arrest, a farmer union agitation, a senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader named in an FIR, raids on his home, and an SIT. And underneath all of it: the bitter aftertaste of Punjab’s just-concluded civic body elections.

HIgh Court slams Punjab Police, declares his arrest illegal

Here is everything you need to know.

The Timeline: From Civic Polls to Police Station

Who Is Jobanpreet Singh — And Why Does He Matter?

Jobanpreet Singh is the name at the centre of this case, yet he remains largely faceless in most media coverage. Here is what we know about him:

• He is a local youth from Majitha town in Amritsar district.
• His father is an activist of the Kirti Kisan Union, a Punjab farmer organisation.
• He served as a polling agent for the Shiromani Akali Dal during the Majitha Nagar Council elections held on May 26 — days before his arrest.
• He was picked up from his residence at around 5:30 am and brought to Majitha police station in connection with an FIR registered on May 30.

The SAD and Kirti Kisan Union allege that Jobanpreet’s arrest was fabricated precisely because of his role as a SAD polling agent. The police say he was formally arrested on an existing FIR and was in lawful custody when the incident at the station occurred.

ALSO READ: JOBANPREET CASE: Detention Illegal, says High Court

Bikram Majithia row:: What Happened at Majitha Police Station?

The two versions of events diverge sharply.

The Police Version

According to Amritsar Rural SSP Sohail Qasim Mir, a crowd gathered outside the station and then entered the premises ‘forcibly as part of a pre-planned conspiracy.’ The SSP said the group:

• Overpowered police staff and entered without authorisation
• Searched rooms of the police station in ‘utter disregard of law’
• Assaulted police personnel
• Tore official case files and damaged public property
• Briefly took Jobanpreet out of custody before police managed to get him back

An FIR has been registered against more than 50 individuals. An SIT has been formed and 12 teams are conducting raids.

The SAD Version

Senior Akali leader and former minister Bikram Majithia and his supporters say there was no ‘attack.’ They contend that Jobanpreet was being held illegally — without a formal arrest, without his family being informed — and that they went to the station to seek accountability. Harsimrat Kaur Badal has framed Majithia’s presence as that of a public representative intervening to protect a constituent from illegal detention.

Majithia himself has denied all allegations of forcibly freeing a detainee from custody.

Why Civic Polls Are the Real Backdrop to This Story

Bikram Majithia row:: The Majitha Nagar Council election results declared just days ago were bitterly contested.

• In the 13-ward council, AAP won 7 seats and SAD secured 6 — a near-equal split in Majithia’s own stronghold, where his wife Ganieve Kaur is the sitting MLA.
• Majithia alleged ‘large-scale irregularities and open hooliganism’ by AAP during polling, accusing AAP workers and ‘gangster elements’ of booth-capturing under police protection.
• He accused the Chief Minister’s Office of directly interfering in the counting process when results were delayed.
• He had warned of approaching the Punjab and Haryana High Court over the alleged high-handedness.

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal has explicitly said the police action against Majithia is ‘an outcome of frustration following civic polls.’ The sequence — election-day allegations of AAP misconduct followed within days by an FIR against the opposition leader who made those allegations — is the central political question this case raises.

Where Does the Case Stand Now?

• Bikram Majithia row:: FIR registered at Majitha police station against 50+ accused, including Bikram Singh Majithia.
• Charges include unlawful assembly, obstruction of lawful police functions, assault on public servants, and destruction of official documents.
• An SIT has been constituted under SP Aditya Warrior.
• 12 police teams are conducting raids across multiple locations.
• Majithia was not present at his Amritsar residence when police arrived. His lawyer says he is collecting details.
• Bikram Majithia row: Separately, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has initiated a parallel financial investigation into a co-accused in the case identified as middleman Krishnu Sharda — a development that could widen the legal net significantly.

The key question

In the Bikram Majithia row, the question everyone is asking is what happens to Majithia next?

Will Majithia surrender or be arrested? His response — and whether he approaches a court for anticipatory bail — will set the tone for the next phase.

The ED angle: If the financial investigation widens, it could draw in more names and shift the story beyond the immediate criminal case.

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