unjab Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader and the Leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Partap Singh Bajwa found himself at the centre of a political and legal firestorm after the State Cyber Crime Police Station in Mohali registered an FIR against him. The case was filed under of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita’s (BNS) Section 197(1)(d) that penalizes publishing false info endangering national security, and section 353(2) that targets spreading false or alarming news particularly via electronic means to incite hatred or enmity between groups, following a complaint by a woman police official Taranpreet Kaur over Bajwa’s controversial televised remarks about the presence of “32 remaining hand grenades” in Punjab.

On Monday, Bajwa skipped the police summons, which directed him to appear for questioning at noon. His legal counsel reached the Mohali cyber crime office to inform the police about Bajwa’s inability to appear, citing late receipt of the summons and sought a day’s extension. The police agreed, giving him time till 2 pm on Tuesday. Meanwhile, on orders from a Mohali district court, Bajwa’s lawyers also managed to procure a copy of the FIR late Monday afternoon.

The complaint, lodged by Taranpreet Kaur, who is posted with the Mohali Social Media Monitoring Cell, alleged that during routine surveillance, she came across a video clip circulating on Facebook featuring Bajwa’s interview with a private news channel. In the clip, Bajwa is seen claiming that “50 hand grenades have arrived in Punjab, 18 have already been used, and 32 are yet to be detonated.”

The complaint stated that Bajwa failed to provide the source of his information or identify potential targets, thereby spreading fear, falsehood, and public unrest. The FIR accused Bajwa of intentionally disseminating misleading information to instigate panic and disturb communal harmony, questioning the intent behind such a statement and citing potential danger to public peace and unity.

The police action followed a dramatic Sunday whemn a two-member counter-intelligence team, including AIG Ravjot Grewal, visited Bajwa’s Sector-8 Chandigarh residence, questioned him about the “source” of his information, and later informed the media that he had not been cooperative.

The FIR was lodged on late Sunday evening shortly after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann released a scathing two-and-a-half-minute video accusing Bajwa of either having direct links with terrorist elements across the border or deliberately spreading fear for political mileage. Mann questioned how Bajwa, and not the Punjab Police or central intelligence agencies, received such sensitive information and warned that strict action would follow if the claim was found baseless.

Bajwa, in response, stood by his statement and refused to reveal his sources. “I have been informed by my source — whom I will not name — that 50 bombs have made their way into Punjab. Eighteen have already exploded, and 32 remain,” he reiterated, citing a grenade attack on the house of BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia in Jalandhar as one of the 18 incidents. “I belong to a family that has suffered terrorism firsthand. I will not be intimidated or bullied into silence,” he declared.

The Congress leadership promptly rallied behind Bajwa. Chhattisgarh’s former Chief Minister and AICC Punjab party affairs in-charge Bhupesh Baghel condemned the FIR, stating, “Since the Aam Aadmi Party came to power in Punjab, instability has only increased. Bomb blasts, targeted killings, and a total breakdown of law and order have become routine. Rather than acting on Bajwa’s warning, the government is targeting the whistleblower.”

Echoing this sentiment, senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, said that governance in Punjab had “completely collapsed”. Accusing the AAP Government of “intimidation, smear, and threats”, Ramesh said that the Congress would continue to raise public concerns without fear. “Bajwa’s statement was grounded in widely reported news, including 16 grenade blasts in Punjab over the past six months. Instead of verifying facts, the CM is painting Bajwa as a traitor,” he wrote.

The Congress has announced a massive protest rally on Tuesday morning (April 15) at 10 am outside the party headquarters—Punjab Congress Bhawan — in Chandigarh, opposing what they termed the “dictatorial overreach” of the Mann government. State Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said: “The FIR is politically motivated and based solely on Bajwa’s statement in a TV interview. If he had shared this information with the media, does that warrant criminal action? The AAP government is overstepping all bounds of democracy.”

Meanwhile, Congress MP and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa also questioned the double standards of the State Government. “When gangster Lawrence Bishnoi gave a live interview from inside jail, was the channel anchor asked about his source? Why this selective outrage for Bajwa?” he asked. Randhawa warned CM Mann against turning Punjab into a “stage” for political vendetta.

The case has triggered statewide unrest within Congress ranks, with MLAs, MPs, and district leaders staging protests in multiple districts. Posters and slogans condemning the AAP government's “authoritarianism” were seen in Ludhiana, Amritsar, Patiala, Gurdaspur, and Jalandhar. Senior Congress leader Shamsher Singh Dullo also lashed out at the ruling party, saying, “The government has failed on all fronts. Filing an FIR against the LoP shows panic, not governance.”

Bajwa, a seasoned politician and former MP from Qadian, has continued to defend his stand. “I am the CLP leader, a responsible position. The situation in Punjab is volatile. I said what I did based on credible input. I will not reveal my source, and I will not back down,” he said, adding that the government's focus should be on investigating the grenade issue rather than silencing the messenger.

·         FIR registered against Bajwa for his claims, in a televised interview, that 50 grenades have entered Punjab —of which 18 used, 32 yet to detonate

·         Despite pressure, and inquiries, Bajwa disclosed no source or targets

·         FIR says Bajwa’s statement deemed “false and misleading”, capable of “causing public panic”

·         FIR alleges intent to “disturb public peace and tranquility”

·         Content said to “spread fear, ill will, and enmity” among communities

·         Interview described as “deliberate attempt to create disharmony”

·     Bajwa charged under Section 197(1)(d) – false info endangering sovereignty or unity; and Section 353(2) – false, alarming electronic content promoting hatred or enmity