/

 The already volatile water-sharing dispute between Punjab and Haryana reached a dramatic flashpoint on Thursday as Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann rushed to the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) headquarters in Nangal to personally intervene and block what he termed the “unauthorized and illegal” release of 200 cusecs of water to Haryana.

 Mann’s visit came hours after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers, led by Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, surrounded the BBMB chairman Manoj Tripathi and locked him inside the Sutlej Sadan rest house for nearly three hours. The protest was sparked by reports that BBMB officials had attempted to forcibly release water to Haryana from the Nangal Dam the previous night — a move the Punjab government claims is in clear violation of procedural and legal norms.

 “BBMB acted without Punjab’s consent. There is no order from the High Court, the Union Government, or even the BBMB board directing release of this water. All that exists is a press release from a meeting held on May 2 — not a binding order,” Mann told the media outside the dam site. “Such unilateral decisions not only threaten Punjab’s interests but may also stoke unrest in the region. The BBMB chairman will be held accountable if tensions escalate.”

 The CM reiterated Punjab’s longstanding position — the state does not have surplus water. “We have already stretched ourselves to provide Haryana with 4,000 cusecs. Now they want 4,500 cusecs more? On what grounds? We are facing water shortages in our own villages, for both irrigation and drinking. This is not acceptable,” he said.

 He further questioned the urgency behind Haryana’s demand, asking sarcastically, “What miracle crop does Haryana intend to sow in eight days that it needs emergency water now?”

 Punjab's Irrigation Minister Barinder Goyal termed the May 2 BBMB meeting, where the water release was purportedly discussed, as “illegally convened”, citing BBMB bylaws that mandate a seven-day notice period for such decisions. “Only four days' notice was given. This undermines the rights of partner states and violates federal norms,” he said.

 Mann did not mince words in accusing the BJP-led Central Government of manipulating the BBMB to serve Haryana’s political interests. “BBMB has become a puppet of the Centre. They are attempting to exploit a crisis to gain political mileage. Even the BBMB offices do not display photos of Punjab’s Chief Ministers — only those of Haryana and Rajasthan,” he said, adding that Punjab would no longer bear 60 percent of BBMB’s expenses if the board continued to function unilaterally.

 He further alleged that the current tension was being stoked deliberately at a time when national security was under pressure. “The country is on high alert, yet the police that should be deployed on the border are being sent to protect our water,” Mann said, referencing recent tensions with Pakistan. “This is playing straight into the hands of our enemies.”

 The latest confrontation follows a recent Punjab and Haryana High Court ruling, which barred the Punjab Police from interfering in BBMB’s operational functioning. The court directed the state to respect the May 2 meeting’s outcome and approach the Centre if it had grievances. In response, Mann announced Punjab would move the Supreme Court to challenge what he called a “flawed and biased interpretation of inter-state water sharing.”

Punjab also wrote to BBMB’s Director (Security), asking that no further action be taken until the minutes of the May 2 meeting are officially shared with the state’s Water Resources Department. “We will not let an ambiguous press note override legal rights and state autonomy,” Mann said.

 Even as Mann took a defiant stand, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring criticized the delay in legal action. “The state should have approached the Supreme Court yesterday, not waited for the drama to unfold. Media bytes and blame games cannot protect Punjab’s water,” he said, accusing the AAP government of poor planning and reactionary governance.

 Meanwhile, AAP workers continued their sit-in protest at Nangal Dam, with the CM instructing them to remain vigilant and prevent any forced release of water. “We will not give an inch—not because we want a confrontation, but because we are duty-bound to protect Punjab’s interests,” Mann declared.