Congress Leaders Detained During Protest Against Punjab Finance Minister

Chandigarh police detained AICC General Secretary Sachin Pilot, Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, and PPCC chief Raja Warring on September 15, 2026, during a Congress party protest. The demonstration demanded the arrest and resignation of Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema following the September 7 suicide of Gulzar Singh, a Dalit daily-wage laborer from Sangrur.

Gulzar Singh's family and Congress leaders allege that Cheema harassed the laborer and used casteist slurs after Singh questioned the minister about drug availability at a public event. During the protest, Pilot called for an independent probe and the inclusion of Cheema's name in the FIR, while criticizing the AAP government for failing to curb the synthetic drug trade.

Police used water cannons to disperse the crowd, resulting in injuries to several workers. Despite internal party factions, the protest served as a display of unity as the Congress party continued to call for the resignations of both Cheema and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.