A Punjab Police Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) has tested positive for drug use after residents confronted him in an allegedly unstable condition near ITI Chowk in Budhlada, Mansa district, on Oct 29. The incident took place amid ongoing protests over the killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh, popularly known as Jhota, who was shot dead at close range outside a medical store in Mansa on Oct 13.
The officer was identified as Sehajpreet Singh, who had reportedly been temporarily posted in the area to maintain law and order during the protests. After seeing his condition, residents confronted him, alleging that he was consuming a banned substance locally known as ‘chitta’, a term commonly used for heroin in Punjab. Videos circulating on social media show residents questioning the officer and demanding answers as the situation escalated and locals accused him of finding drugs on him.
The reported arrest of a Punjab Police ASI at Budhlada's ITI Chowk for allegedly selling and consuming Chitta raises serious questions on the AAP regime. When protectors turn peddlers, what is left of law and order in Punjab? Is Guru-Dokhi @BhagwantMann govt merely incapable of tackling the drug menace, or is there a deeper nexus between the drug trade and those meant to stop it? Punjab's youth is paying the price while the govt continues to fail them.
— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) October 30, 2026
Drug Test Positive, No Narcotics Recovered
As more residents gathered, police personnel reached the spot and attempted to take the officer away from the crowd. However, angry residents staged a protest and questioned the police over accountability and the continuing drug problem in the region. The gathering also led to damage to the gate of a nearby automobile showroom where police had taken the officer for protection.
Residents also accused Budhlada Market Committee chairman Satish Singla of supporting the officer, and some property damage was reported in the market during the confrontation. Singla denied any connection with the incident and said strict punishment should be given to the police personnel if the allegations were established.
According to Mansa SSP Vaibhav Chaudhary, Sehajpreet Singh was originally posted in Mohali and had been assigned temporary law-and-order duty in the area. His drug test returned positive, and a case was registered against him under Section 27 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, which deals with consumption of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances. Police also clarified that no drugs were recovered from his possession.
Punjab's Anti-Drug Campaign
The incident has drawn attention because it comes amid Punjab Police's ongoing anti-drug campaign, ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’. Residents across the state have repeatedly raised concerns about drug availability and addiction, which they say are affecting young people and tearing families apart.
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