Lawyers Demand High Court Intervention After Punjab Activist Claims Brutal Custodial Abuse

On a sweltering September morning in 2026, Mohanjit Singh, a modest farmer from Sheron village in Sangrur district, raised a black flag at a public rally organised by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The flag was meant to draw attention to a problem that haunts the state – rampant drug abuse. What followed, according to Singh and his legal team, reads like a night‑mare.

Just three days after the demonstration, Singh was taken into police custody. What he alleges happened inside the lock‑up is nothing short of barbaric: being stripped, beaten repeatedly, subjected to electric shocks, and even having salt rubbed into fresh cuts on his thighs. He says his turban – a symbol of his Sikh identity – was disrespected, and his beard was handled roughly. There are also claims that he was forced to ingest an intoxicant and then subjected to a dope test whose procedure he disputes. According to the lawyers, a police officer even placed a video call on Singh’s phone to show his deteriorating condition to an unknown third party.

Seeing these allegations, the Council of Lawyers, led by Advocate Vasu Ranjan, decided it could not sit back. On Saturday, Ranjan penned a letter to the Chief Justice of the Punjab & Haryana High Court, demanding immediate suo‑motu cognisance of the case. In plain language, he warned that if the court does not act within 48 hours, the council will file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to force a judicial inquiry.

Ranjan’s petition is packed with specific asks. He wants the court to set up an independent Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by a senior officer who has no ties to the Sangrur police. He also insists on the preservation of all CCTV footage from the arrest site, police stations, transport vehicles and interrogation rooms, along with GPS logs, station diaries, call‑detail records, IP logs and any video‑call metadata that could prove the alleged external involvement.

Another key demand is a medical examination by an independent board, to document Singh’s injuries objectively. The petition also calls for a fresh, unbiased re‑testing of the biological samples that were used in the dope test, arguing that the original result was manipulated. Finally, the council seeks the immediate removal of any police officials, including a DSP‑rank officer allegedly involved, and robust witness protection for Singh and his family.

Behind the legal drama is a deeper, unsettling reality: Punjab’s drug crisis. The petition cites a state‑run “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign that, between March 2025 and August 2026, logged over 54,000 FIRs, arrested more than 75,000 alleged smugglers and seized huge quantities of heroin, opium and other narcotics. Even the Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Kultar Singh Sandhwan, has publicly admitted that the state has not yet eradicated “chitta” – the term locals use for illicit drugs.

Advocate Ranjan stresses that peaceful protest and questioning a democratically elected government are constitutionally protected rights under Articles 19(1)(a) and 21. He argues that a citizen who raises genuine concerns about public health should never be met with violence, let alone state‑sanctioned torture.

As the legal battle unfolds, many are watching closely. Human‑rights groups have already expressed alarm, and several opposition politicians have hinted at raising the issue in the state assembly. If the High Court takes suo‑motu notice, it could set a precedent for how custodial misconduct is addressed in India, especially in politically charged cases.

For now, Singh remains in police custody, awaiting the court’s decision. His family, fearful but hopeful, has appealed to the nation’s conscience, asking that justice be swift and impartial.