Punjab police withdraw Harbhajan Singh's security after BJP switch

Following his switch from AAP to BJP, the Punjab Police has withdrawn the security cover for Rajya Sabha MP and former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, sparking political reactions and protests.

The Punjab police are learnt to have withdrawn the security cover of Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh, one of the seven lawmakers who switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party from Aam Aadmi Party alongside Raghav Chadha, sources said.

The police security cover comprising 9-10 policemen was withdrawn on Saturday, they said.

The Punjab Police security was deployed at the former cricketer's residence at the Chhotti Baradari locality in Jalandhar.

Meanwhile, security personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force could be seen deployed outside the residence of the former cricketer on Sunday.

AAP workers on Saturday held protests outside the residences of Singh, Ashok Mittal and Rajinder Gupta, who have joined BJP, and wrote 'Gaddar' (traitor) on the boundary walls of their residences with spray paint in Ludhiana and Jalandhar.

On Friday, AAP Rajya Sabha members Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak had announced their exit from the party as they joined the BJP along with five other MPs -- Mittal, Singh, Gupta, Swati Maliwal and Vikramjit Sahney.

Chadha alleged that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party had strayed from its principles, values and core morals, which is why he was joining the BJP. He said the seven had merged with the BJP as a faction.

In the immediate wake of the exodus, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann dubbed the seven leaders "gaddars".

Mann alleged that the BJP was trying to break the AAP and had "betrayed the people of Punjab".