Shiv Sena (Thackeray) Leader Harvinder Soni Arrested for Misbehaving with Police Officers

• May 22, 2025

After days of mounting tension and speculation, the Gurdaspur police on Thursday arrested Harvinder Soni, Vice President of the Punjab Shiv Sena (Thackeray), for allegedly misbehaving with senior on-duty police officers. The arrest followed an FIR registered at the City police station, citing charges including “criminal force on a public servant during discharge of duty,” along with other relevant sections.

Station House Officer (SHO) Davinder Parkash stated that the action was taken under the instructions of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Aditya. “We had gone to Soni’s residence in the morning to inspect his security arrangements. Instead of cooperating, he threw a sheaf of papers at one of my officers and began hurling insults in a loud voice,” Parkash said.

Sources added that Soni also used abusive language and threatened officers present at the scene. The incident is the latest in a series of controversial actions by Soni, who has been under scrutiny for frequent clashes with his own security personnel and for using doctored images with senior officials to exaggerate his influence in the region.

Police sources revealed growing frustration within the force over Soni’s conduct, especially his recent online tirades targeting senior officers. “His behaviour has been consistently disruptive and disrespectful,” said a senior official.

This is not the first time Soni has found himself in legal trouble. In November 2022, he was arrested following an altercation with Nihang Sikhs. Earlier, in 2015, he survived an assassination attempt when a Sikh youth, Kashmir Singh, fired at him in Gurdaspur’s Fish Park, near the Deputy Commissioner’s residence. At the time, he was considered a high-risk target, prompting then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and DGP Sumedh Singh Saini to visit him at a private hospital in Amritsar. A security assessment later led to the deployment of nearly 20 guards for his protection.

However, those very security personnel have recently lodged complaints against Soni, alleging mistreatment. “We are not even provided basic necessities like water or seating,” one guard said. Others claimed Soni misused government-assigned drivers for personal errands and even publicly criticized his own security detail on social media.

Further controversy erupted after senior officers, including DIG (Border) Satinder Singh and SSPs Suhail Qasim Mir and Harish Dayama, visited his residence for routine checks. Soni allegedly exploited these visits by photo-shopping images to project himself as being close to high-ranking police officials.

With his arrest now official, police sources suggest further investigation is underway and more legal action may follow depending on the findings.