--- title: "Harbhajan Singh's Security Withdrawn After A" description: "Punjab Police withdrawing Harbhajan Singh's security after his BJP switch spotlights rising political tensions ahead of the state's 2027 assembly elections." url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/story/punjab-police-withdraws-harbhajan-singhs-security-after-bjp-switch" --- # Harbhajan Singh's Security Withdrawn After A Political maneuvering intensifies ahead of Punjab's 2027 elections. Model DiplomatApril 26, 20263 min readPunjab [PTIPunjab Police withdraws security cover of MP Harbhajan Singh after ...](https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/punjab/punjab-police-security-cover-of-mp-harbhajan-singh-withdrawn-after-he-quits-aap/article70908469.ece)[The Hindu BureauBJP would emerge as strong alternative force in Punjab, says Haryana CM - The Hindu](https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/punjab/drug-abuse-in-punjab-risen-sharply-taking-a-toll-on-youth-says-haryana-cm/article70659757.ece)[Vikas VasudevaOpposition seeks arrest of AAP leader in Punjab - The Hindu](https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/punjab/opposition-seeks-arrestof-aap-leader-in-punjab/article70772320.ece) ## Punjab Police Pulls Harbhajan Singh's Security After BJP Switch *The AAP government's move against the cricket legend-turned-MP signals how state security apparatus is being weaponised ahead of Punjab's 2027 elections.* **Punjab Police withdrew the security detail of Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh on April 25, 2026** — the day after the former Indian cricket captain defected from the Aam Aadmi Party to the BJP. Nine to ten state police personnel were pulled from his residence; CRPF personnel, deployed by the Centre, remain in place. The timing leaves little room for alternative interpretation. ## The Power Play Is Straightforward **Bhagwant Mann's AAP government** controls Punjab Police. State-assigned security cover is a discretionary benefit — not a constitutional right — and it is routinely adjusted when political allegiances shift. By stripping Harbhajan's cover within 24 hours of his defection, the AAP administration sent a loud message to any other sitting MP or MLA contemplating a similar move: the cost of switching is immediate and personal. Harbhajan Singh was elected to the Rajya Sabha in **2022 on an AAP ticket**, giving the party a high-visibility celebrity face at the national level. His exit to the BJP — Punjab's principal opposition ahead of the **2027 state assembly elections** — is not a trivial loss. It signals AAP's declining hold on prominent non-political figures the party recruited to burnish its national image. The Centre's counter-move was equally pointed. CRPF personnel were visibly stationed outside Harbhajan's residence on April 26, a signal from the Union Home Ministry that it will cover the security gap. This is consistent with a broader pattern: the Centre granted Z-category CRPF protection to newly elected BJP president Nitin Nabin in January 2026 following his appointment, underscoring how security deployment has become a live instrument of Centre-state political competition. The BJP-led central government and the AAP-run Punjab government are now, effectively, providing competing security perimeters around the same man. ## The Punjab Context Punjab is already a high-friction political environment. A blast outside the **BJP's Chandigarh office on April 1, 2026** — investigated by the NIA — has sharpened BJP's argument that the AAP government cannot ensure law and order. Simultaneously, **ED raids on AAP MP Ashok Mittal's business interests** on April 15 have fuelled Mann's counter-narrative of central agency misuse. Harbhajan Singh's security row lands squarely in this escalating cycle of political attrition between Delhi and Chandigarh. AAP's defensible position — that state security is allocated on threat-assessment criteria, not political loyalty — is undermined by the 24-hour turnaround. If the threat assessment changed that fast, the party will need to show the paperwork. It hasn't, publicly. For [India](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/india "modeldiplomat.com") watchers tracking the gradual erosion of institutional neutrality in state politics, this episode fits a well-worn pattern visible across multiple opposition-governed states. ### What to Watch Next **Three pressure points** define the next phase: 1. **Harbhajan's formal BJP role** — Whether the party gives him a campaign-facing position ahead of 2027 will indicate how much electoral capital they believe he carries in the state. 2. **More defections** — If additional AAP-linked public figures follow Harbhajan, expect further security-cover revocations and a sharper Centre-state standoff. 3. **Punjab Assembly Elections, early 2027** — Every move here is a preview. Security politics, ED raids, and celebrity defections are all instruments in a campaign that has effectively already begun. The CRPF's visible presence outside Harbhajan's door is the clearest single image of where Punjab's political war currently stands: two governments, one residence, zero ambiguity. Follow the broader [India politics](https://modeldiplomat.com/discover/india "modeldiplomat.com") thread for further developments. *** *Sources: [The Hindu — Punjab Police withdraws security cover of MP Harbhajan Singh](https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/punjab/punjab-police-security-cover-of-mp-harbhajan-singh-withdrawn-after-he-quits-aap/article70908469.ece "thehindu.com") | [Live Mint — Harbhajan Singh's security cover withdrawn by Punjab Police](https://www.livemint.com/news/india/harbhajan-singhs-security-cover-withdrawn-by-punjab-police-after-bjp-switch/amp-11777195684190.html "livemint.com")* [Harbhajan Singh](https://modeldiplomat.com/tag/harbhajan-singh)[Punjab Politics](https://modeldiplomat.com/tag/punjab-politics)[AAP](https://modeldiplomat.com/tag/aap)[BJP](https://modeldiplomat.com/tag/bjp)[2027 Elections](https://modeldiplomat.com/tag/2027-elections) Discover more [India](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/rajnath-singhs-durga-squad-initiative-for-assembly-elections-2026) #### [Rajnath Singh's Durga Squad for 2026 Polls](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/rajnath-singhs-durga-squad-initiative-for-assembly-elections-2026) [Rajnath Singh's Durga Squad promised women's safety in Bengal but has since disappeared from the agenda, revealing BJP's true priorities.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/rajnath-singhs-durga-squad-initiative-for-assembly-elections-2026) [India](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/bjp-and-congress-clash-over-madhya-pradesh-bill-defeat) #### [BJP Congress Clash Over MP Bill Defeat](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/bjp-and-congress-clash-over-madhya-pradesh-bill-defeat) [The BJP's defeat of the women's quota amendment sparks a political narrative war with Congress, impacting future elections.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/bjp-and-congress-clash-over-madhya-pradesh-bill-defeat) [India](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/cpi-mp-accuses-pm-modi-of-mcc-violations-in-tamil-nadu-campaign) #### [CPI MP Accuses PM Modi of MCC Violations](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/cpi-mp-accuses-pm-modi-of-mcc-violations-in-tamil-nadu-campaign) [CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar alleges PM Modi breached the Model Code of Conduct in Tamil Nadu, raising election integrity concerns before the 2026 Assembly polls.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/cpi-mp-accuses-pm-modi-of-mcc-violations-in-tamil-nadu-campaign) [Economics](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/feds-amex-aml-order-puts-correspondent-banking-on-notice) #### [Fed's Amex AML order puts correspondent banking on notice](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/feds-amex-aml-order-puts-correspondent-banking-on-notice) [Federal Reserve's Amex AML order requires board-level controls and a 90-day plan; OCC fined the bank $350 million over enterprise-wide deficiencies.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/feds-amex-aml-order-puts-correspondent-banking-on-notice)