A political controversy has erupted in Punjab after BJP Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh shared a viral video of two men appearing disoriented on a roadside and linked it to the state’s growing concerns over drug abuse. Punjab Police, however, quickly disputed the claim, saying the footage was actually recorded in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, and had no connection with Punjab.
The development has triggered a fresh political confrontation between the BJP and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, with both sides accusing each other of using the sensitive issue of drug abuse for political gains.
Harbhajan Singh, the former Indian cricketer who recently moved from the AAP to the BJP, shared the video on X while expressing concern over what he described as the worsening situation in Punjab. His post carried an emotional appeal about the future of Punjab and its youth.
“The evil eye has struck, my friend, on our Punjab,” Harbhajan Singh said in his post. He went on to accuse successive governments of having “ruined Punjab and its Punjabi youth” and appealed to people to “save Punjab” and “save Punjab’s youth”.
ਨਜ਼ਰ ਲੱਗ ਗਈ ਯਾਰ ਸਾਡੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਨੂੰ… 💔
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) August 10, 2026
ਸਰਕਾਰਾਂ ਨੇ ਕੀ ਹਾਲ ਬਣਾ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦਾ ਤੇ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਨੌਜਵਾਨਾਂ ਦਾ। ਰੋਣਾ ਆਉਂਦਾ ਏ ਇਹ ਸਭ ਦੇਖ ਕੇ। 😢
ਬਖ਼ਸ਼ ਦਿਓ ਮੇਰੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਨੂੰ… ਮਾਫ਼ ਕਰੋ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਨੂੰ। 🙏
ਕਿੱਥੇ ਲੈ ਆਏ ਓ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਨੂੰ?
ਜਿਹੜਾ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਕਦੇ ਚੜ੍ਹਦੀ ਕਲਾ, ਹਿੰਮਤ ਤੇ ਬਹਾਦਰੀ ਲਈ ਜਾਣਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਸੀ, ਅੱਜ ਉਸੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ… pic.twitter.com/RAp3aYy0i2
The video showed two turbaned men apparently struggling to stand and move normally on a roadside. The footage quickly spread across social media, where several users described the men as being under the influence of narcotics and linked the incident to the so-called “zombie drug” crisis.
However, the geographical claim attached to the video soon came under scrutiny.
Punjab Police issued a clarification on social media, stating that the video originated in Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan rather than Punjab. The police force stressed that the footage had no connection with Punjab Police or an incident in the state.
The police also addressed the presence of Punjabi-language audio in the clip, making it clear that the use of Punjabi in a video does not establish where the incident took place.
In its message, Punjab Police urged social media users and accounts to verify the facts and location of videos before publishing or circulating them. The force also tagged Harbhajan Singh while emphasizing the importance of responsible sharing.
The clarification immediately changed the political tone of the controversy. What initially appeared to be another discussion about Punjab’s drug problem turned into a dispute over misinformation, political responsibility and the portrayal of the state.
AAP leader and Punjab Cabinet Minister Dr Baljit Kaur launched a sharp attack on Harbhajan Singh following the police clarification. She accused the BJP MP of presenting a Rajasthan video as a Punjab incident and alleged that he was attempting to malign Punjab for political purposes.
Baljit Kaur also took a direct political swipe at Harbhajan Singh, questioning whether he was trying to please his new political leadership at the expense of Punjab’s image.
The video being circulated is from Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan—not Punjab—and has no connection with Punjab Police.
— Punjab Police India (@PunjabPoliceInd) August 10, 2026
A Punjabi audio track does not make an incident a Punjab incident.
We urge users and social media accounts to verify the facts and location before posting… https://t.co/bNHwjXVXsC
The confrontation is particularly significant because of Harbhajan Singh’s political journey. The former cricketer had previously been associated with the Aam Aadmi Party and served as an AAP Rajya Sabha MP before switching political allegiance to the BJP.
His latest post therefore carries added political weight in Punjab, where the issue of drug abuse has remained one of the most emotionally charged subjects in public and political debate.
For years, drug addiction has been a major concern in Punjab, with political parties repeatedly accusing one another of failing to tackle the problem. The issue has also played a major role in election campaigns, with promises to curb drug trafficking and protect young people becoming a recurring feature of political speeches.
Against that background, videos showing people apparently under the influence of drugs can quickly attract widespread attention. Social media platforms can amplify such footage within minutes, often before the original location, date or circumstances have been independently established.
That is precisely what happened in this case. The appearance of two turbaned men, combined with Punjabi audio, appears to have contributed to the assumption among some users that the footage came from Punjab.
Punjab Police, however, rejected that interpretation and identified Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan as the location.
The controversy also highlights a wider problem in the age of viral social media content. A video can be authentic while the description attached to it can still be inaccurate. Once a misleading location or context becomes attached to footage, correcting it can prove far more difficult than spreading the original claim.
The “zombie drug” label has further intensified the debate. The term has been widely used on social media to describe people who appear heavily intoxicated, confused or physically unstable. However, an individual’s appearance in a viral video alone cannot establish which substance, if any, they consumed.
That distinction is important because allegations involving drug use can have serious social and political consequences. Misidentifying the location of such footage can also unfairly damage the reputation of a particular state or community.
In the present case, Punjab Police specifically sought to separate the viral footage from Punjab, while the AAP used the clarification to accuse the opposition of deliberately portraying the state in a negative light.
For the BJP, the broader political issue remains Punjab’s battle against drug abuse. Harbhajan Singh’s message focused on the condition of young people and the need to protect Punjab’s future. His criticism reflects a wider opposition narrative that the state government has failed to fully address the drug challenge.
For the AAP government, however, the immediate concern is different. Its leaders have argued that Punjab should not be blamed for incidents that occur elsewhere, particularly when social media users attach an incorrect location to viral footage.
The dispute is therefore no longer limited to the contents of the video. It has become a political argument over who gets to define the reality of Punjab’s drug crisis and how that reality is presented to the public.
The episode also places greater emphasis on the responsibility of public figures when sharing unverified material. Posts from politicians and other prominent personalities can reach millions of people quickly and can shape public opinion before authorities have an opportunity to verify the underlying facts.
Harbhajan Singh’s decision to share the footage turned an already viral clip into a major political talking point. Punjab Police’s subsequent clarification, meanwhile, shifted attention toward the video’s actual origin.
The AAP’s response has added another layer to the controversy, with Baljit Kaur accusing the BJP MP of putting political interests ahead of Punjab’s reputation.
The incident comes at a time when political parties in Punjab continue to debate how effectively the state is tackling drug trafficking and addiction. While the political blame game continues, the underlying concern about drug abuse remains a serious public issue.
For residents, families and young people affected by addiction, the debate is bigger than a single viral video. It raises questions about how governments address drug abuse, how political parties discuss the issue and how responsibly public figures use social media.
The latest controversy also serves as a reminder that viral footage requires verification before it is presented as evidence of a wider social crisis. Location, date and context can fundamentally change the meaning of a video.
In this case, Punjab Police’s claim that the footage came from Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan has become the central point of the political dispute. The AAP has seized on the clarification to attack Harbhajan Singh, while the BJP MP’s original concerns about drug abuse have kept the broader issue in the spotlight.
As the political exchange continues, the episode has once again pushed Punjab’s drug crisis into the centre of public discussion. But it has also demonstrated how quickly an unverified social media claim can become a political controversy when it involves a sensitive issue and a prominent public figure.