The Shiromani Akali Dal met Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, alleging the AAP government failed to act on intelligence inputs warning of a threat to Bikram Singh Majithia’s life in jail.
SAD claimed surveillance measures inside Nabha jail violated Majithia’s privacy and fundamental rights, and accused authorities of treating security concerns as an “eyewash”.
The delegation also raised concerns over alleged raids on the Punjab Kesari Group, urging the governor to intervene to protect press freedom in the state.
In a meeting with the Punjab Governor on Friday, the Shiromani Akali Dal said that despite intelligence reports pointing to a threat to the life of imprisoned party leader Bikram Singh Majithia, the state government had taken "nothing concrete" to protect his life.
The SAD stated that it had no faith in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's ability to take meaningful action in this regard and urged Governor Gulab Chand Kataria to issue the necessary directives to secure the protection of Majithia, a former minister.
Senior SAD leaders highlighted what they called a "grave threat" to Majithia's life and claimed violations of his fundamental rights in a letter to the governor.
Majithia is presently being held at Patiala's Nabha prison. The Punjab Vigilance Bureau detained him in June of last year in connection with a case involving disproportionate assets. Sukhbir Badal, the previous chief minister and leader of SAD, is his brother-in-law.
"Nothing concrete was being done to safeguard the life of Majithia and that of his family members, despite the directives of the high court following central intelligence inputs that he was likely to be targeted for elimination by the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI)," stated the SAD delegation, which included Balwinder Singh Bhunder, Maheshinder Singh Grewal, Daljit Singh Cheema, and Ganieve Kaur Majithia.
They claimed there was an attempt to install a camera facing the washroom and the toilet, allegedly with the intention of recording him without his clothes and turban or parna, which they said amounted to an invasion of privacy and hurt religious sentiments.
The representative said on January 1, two DIGs visited Majithia in jail and informed him that they had inputs that he would be targeted inside the jail premises by the terror outfit BKI.
It said, "When the jail superintendent remained silent on this issue despite being asked, Majithia informed the chief judicial magistrate about the danger to his life".
It further claimed even Majithia's counsel was not given details about the threat to the senior leader's life, but "shockingly, the intelligence inputs were circulated in the media, drawing parallels with the circumstances preceding the killing of singer Sidhu Moosewala after his security was withdrawn.
The SAD also alleged that during Majithia's wife, Ganieve Kaur Majithia's, visit to the Nabha jail on January 15, cameras were installed to monitor the meeting. "There is a grave apprehension that the cameras have mikes", the SAD said.
The SAD delegation also brought up Punjab Kesari. This newspaper group has accused the Bhagwant Mann administration of suppressing the media and said it was the focus of numerous raids by law enforcement during their meeting with the governor.
The governor should step in "to stop the attack on the freedom of the press by the Aam Aadmi Party government, which was intimidating the Punjab Kesari Group with raids on its presses and associate business," the SAD delegation said.
It claimed that from October 21, 2025, the Punjab Kesari Group has been the target of a witch hunt after a news article about accusations made by the opposition about the AAP national convener was published.
It claimed all advertisements to the Punjab Kesari Group were stopped on November 2, and in January, raids were conducted at its printing presses as well as a hotel owned by the group in Jalandhar.
Asserting that such acts undermined democracy, it appealed to the governor to take necessary steps to ensure democracy was not undermined.
The Punjab government issued an official statement on Thursday, categorically rejecting the Punjab Kesari group's allegations.
