UK-returned man arrested over posts alleging ‘demographic change’ in Ludhiana

A UK-returned man from Punjab’s Rupnagar district has been arrested for allegedly posting content on social media designed to provoke communal tensions and disrupt public harmony, the Ludhiana Police said on December 3.

The accused, identified as Arshdeep Singh Saini, operated under the X handle @the_lama_singh, where he described himself as “Ram Das, Nationalist, Hindu Sikh”. His account had more than 13,000 followers at the time of his arrest.

In one of his recent posts, now deleted from his profile, Saini claimed that Ludhiana was witnessing rapid “demographic change” due to the alleged illegal settlement of Bangladeshi migrants. “Illegal Bangladeshi continue to settle and capture the business ecosystem… starting with fruit & vegetable, and other menial tasks,” the post read.

Speaking at a press briefing, Ludhiana Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma said the posts were “provocative, communal in tone, potentially capable of spreading discord and disharmony.”

Police further said they are examining whether the content is part of a larger, planned online effort to destabilise the state. “We are investigating whether these online inflammatory posts align with a wider toolkit to spread disharmony in Punjab at the behest of Pakistan’s ISI,” Sharma said.

According to the Commissioner, preliminary monitoring by the Cyber Crime Police Station found that the account had repeatedly shared content targeting various religious communities, including Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims. Police also noted that responses and engagement patterns suggested possible coordination aimed at amplifying communal narratives.

A case was registered against Saini on November 28 under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology (IT) Act.

Meanwhile, Saini’s detention has triggered reactions online from supporters who allege his arrest is an attempt to suppress dissent. Several users have circulated screenshots of a post—also reportedly deleted—that read: “I am being arrested, taken to Ludhiana.”

One user wrote, “Where is our brother?”, while another account claimed: “The price @the_lama_singh is paying for speaking his mind is staggering… jailed simply for highlighting how illegal settlements are altering demographics.”

The police have not commented on whether further arrests or digital forensic investigations are underway.