Punjab Police ASI Suspended After Viral Video Allegedly Shows Him Planting Heroin in Khanna

Punjab Police planting heroin allegations exploded on social media on November 2, 2026, after a viral video purportedly showed a police officer placing a packet under a mattress at a home in Khanna, Punjab, shortly before a police search allegedly recovered heroin from the same spot. Khanna Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Darpan Ahluwalia has suspended Assistant Sub-Inspector Sukhdev Singh, who was posted with the CIA staff, and ordered a Special Investigation Team probe into the incident.

The suspension and the release of the arrested man, Shiv Sena leader Mahant Kashmir Giri, turned a local raid into a statewide political controversy within hours, with the BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal attacking the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government on November 2. Precision matters here: the video allegedly shows planting, and its authenticity is part of what the SIT must investigate. This post does not treat planting as a proven fact.

Punjab Police planting heroin video: what allegedly happened in Khanna

According to reports in The Indian Express, NDTV, The Statesman, Outlook and Oneindia, the sequence began with the arrest of Giri's driver, Gurjant Singh alias Janta, who was allegedly caught with 7.5 grams of heroin. An FIR was registered at Khanna Sadar Police Station, and police said the driver's interrogation led them to Giri's residence in Khanna town in Ludhiana district.

A police team then searched Giri's house and claimed to have recovered around 30 grams of heroin from beneath a bed mattress, after which Giri was arrested in a drug trafficking case. That recovery is now under a cloud because of footage from a hidden camera installed at the house by the family. The viral clip purportedly shows ASI Sukhdev Singh, dressed in plain clothes, entering a room before the formal police party arrived and placing a packet beneath the mattress.

Moments later, according to NDTV's account, police entered the room with Giri, searched it, and claimed to discover heroin from the same spot where the ASI had allegedly been seen placing the packet.

Punjab Police planting heroin case: suspension and SIT probe

After senior officers reviewed the recording, Khanna SSP Dr Darpan Ahluwalia suspended ASI Sukhdev Singh, removed him from the case and discharged Giri, who had been arrested after the claimed recovery. The SSP has also constituted a Special Investigation Team headed by an SP-rank officer to probe the footage's authenticity, the ASI's alleged role, the recovery's circumstances and other officers' possible involvement. A departmental inquiry has also begun, according to Oneindia.

Punjab Police planting heroin row: political reaction on November 2

The political reaction was swift. The BJP's official X account posted on November 2 that footage showed ASI Sukhdev Singh placing something under the bed at Giri's house, and that police then 'recovered' 30 grams of heroin from the exact same spot. Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal posted that the ASI was 'caught live on CCTV secretly hiding a packet of drugs under a mattress', accusing the AAP government of a breakdown of law and order and of framing citizens. Those are political allegations, not SIT findings.

Punjab Police planting heroin case: who is Mahant Kashmir Giri

Mahant Kashmir Giri is a Shiv Sena leader and Hindu religious leader based in Khanna. The Indian Express described him as a former rashtriya pracharak of the Shiv Sena's Punjab unit, and reported that he has faced several criminal cases over the years, including allegations of attempted murder, weapons offences, cheating, impersonation and drug trafficking.

The same report listed earlier cases and allegations against him, including an alleged drug-supply racket case last year and older cheating, impersonation and weapons allegations. These are earlier allegations as reported, not verdicts, and they do not by themselves settle what happened in the Khanna search.

Punjab Police planting heroin case: what happens next

• SIT findings: whether the inquiry confirms the footage is authentic, and what it says about the ASI's role and any other officers involved.
• Departmental action: whether the suspension leads to further disciplinary proceedings against Sukhdev Singh or others.
• The driver's case: what happens to the case against Gurjant Singh alias Janta, whose arrest led police to Giri's house in the first place.
• Court scrutiny: whether the claimed 30-gram recovery is tested in court, and how the video affects any prosecution.
• Political fallout: whether the row stays a Khanna story or becomes a larger Punjab debate about drug-case investigations.

For now, the verified picture is this: a viral video allegedly shows a Punjab Police ASI placing a packet under a mattress in Khanna before a search that claimed to find heroin there; the ASI has been suspended, the arrested Shiv Sena leader has been discharged from the case, and an SP-rank SIT is investigating. The key question, whether the footage proves a planted recovery, is still under investigation, and this post will not call it proved until an inquiry or court says so.

Punjab Police planting heroin FAQs