The Enforcement Directorate carried out a marathon 50-hour search operation in Mohali as part of its investigation linked to the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority, with officials scanning official papers and cloning mobile phones. Eight officers were confined during the extended operation as the agency chased what it described as crucial clues against AAP leaders.

The searches, centred on premises connected to the GMADA probe, mark a significant escalation in the agency’s scrutiny of land and development-related dealings in Punjab. ED teams examined records, digital devices and documents through the night as part of the clue-hunting exercise.

AAP cries vendetta, protests erupt

The Aam Aadmi Party has strongly condemned the searches, calling them a political witch-hunt orchestrated by the BJP-led central government. Party workers ramped up protests in Punjab, accusing the Centre of misusing central agencies to target opposition leaders and destabilise the state government.

The political temperature rose further after a related ED raid on the nephew of Punjab minister Hardeep Mundian. Mundian alleged political pressure on his family and denied any wrongdoing, calling the action an attempt to intimidate the state government.

Court steps in

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has stepped into the matter as the searches sparked a wider storm in Punjab. The court’s intervention came amid sharp exchanges between AAP and the BJP over the propriety and timing of the agency’s actions.

The ED has maintained that its operations follow due process and are based on evidence gathered during investigation. With the probe continuing, the GMADA case is set to remain a central battleground in Punjab’s already heated political landscape.

The Enforcement Directorate investigates financial crimes under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, and its actions against opposition leaders have repeatedly triggered political controversy across states. Opposition parties have long accused the agency of selective targeting, while the government insists that investigations are driven purely by evidence. In Punjab, where AAP is in power, the GMADA probe has become the latest flashpoint in this running battle between the Centre and the state government.