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BJP Rajya Sabha MP and former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh faced criticism after sharing a video on social media showing two turbaned men apparently behaving erratically on a roadside and claiming it highlighted Punjab's worsening drug problem.

Singh appeared to believe that the footage was from Punjab and expressed concern over drug addiction among the state's youth. However, the video was later traced to Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan, prompting Punjab Police and state ministers to hit back at the BJP MP.

ਨਜ਼ਰ ਲੱਗ ਗਈ ਯਾਰ ਸਾਡੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਨੂੰ… 💔

ਸਰਕਾਰਾਂ ਨੇ ਕੀ ਹਾਲ ਬਣਾ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦਾ ਤੇ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਨੌਜਵਾਨਾਂ ਦਾ। ਰੋਣਾ ਆਉਂਦਾ ਏ ਇਹ ਸਭ ਦੇਖ ਕੇ। 😢

ਬਖ਼ਸ਼ ਦਿਓ ਮੇਰੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਨੂੰ… ਮਾਫ਼ ਕਰੋ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਨੂੰ। 🙏

ਕਿੱਥੇ ਲੈ ਆਏ ਓ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਨੂੰ?
ਜਿਹੜਾ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਕਦੇ ਚੜ੍ਹਦੀ ਕਲਾ, ਹਿੰਮਤ ਤੇ ਬਹਾਦਰੀ ਲਈ ਜਾਣਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਸੀ, ਅੱਜ ਉਸੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ… pic.twitter.com/RAp3aYy0i2

— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) August 10, 2026

Sharing the video on X, Singh said Punjab's youth were "besieged by addictions" and appealed to people to "save Punjab's youth".

"The evil eye has struck, my friend, on our Punjab," he wrote, alleging that successive governments had "ruined Punjab and its Punjabi youth".

Punjab Police Clarifies Video Is From Rajasthan

Soon after Singh's post, social media users pointed out that the video was not filmed in Punjab. Punjab Police subsequently issued a clarification, stating that the footage was recorded in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan.

"The video being circulated is from Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan—not Punjab—and has no connection with Punjab Police. A Punjabi audio track does not make an incident a Punjab incident," the police said on X while resharing Singh's post.

The clarification triggered a political controversy, with the Punjab government accusing Singh of using footage from another state to portray Punjab in a negative light.

Punjab Ministers Target BJP MP

Punjab Cabinet Minister Baljit Kaur accused Singh of deliberately misrepresenting the origin of the video to target the state. "Look at the desperation to please his political bosses. He is sharing a video from Rajasthan and lying that it is from Punjab," Kaur said in an X post. She alleged that Singh was acting in the BJP's political interests and claimed that people in Punjab would not forgive him for harming the state's image.

Punjab minister Harbhajan Singh ETO also criticised the former cricketer, accusing the BJP of using misinformation against Punjab."This is the BJP's standard modus operandi: manufacture lies and use sell-outs like Harbhajan to constantly defame Punjab. This video is from Rajasthan, but he lies to ruin the image of the state that gave him his entire career. Punjabis see right through this dirty propaganda," the AAP minister said.

What Is A 'Zombie Drug'?

The term "zombie drug" is commonly used for xylazine, a veterinary sedative that has increasingly been detected in illicit drug supplies. Also known as "tranq" or "tranq dope", xylazine is often found mixed with other drugs, including cocaine.

However, unusual behaviour, disorientation or people appearing motionless in videos does not by itself establish that they have consumed xylazine or any other illicit substance. Authorities have repeatedly warned against drawing such conclusions without evidence.

In another instance in Bengaluru, police found that a viral video labelled as a "zombie drug" incident was actually linked to a man's medical condition and the effects of alcohol consumed alongside medication.