Does This Video Show People Using ‘Zombie Drug’ in Punjab? Here’s What We Know

The video is from Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar and not Punjab, as claimed.

BJP MP Harbhajan Singh shared a video, claiming that it showed Punjab's youth who were 'besieged by addictions.' However, Punjab Police clarified that the video was from Rajasthan.

(Source: X/Altered by The Quint)

A video showing people wearing turbans hunched over on the side of the road was widely shared on social media, claiming to show visuals of two men being under the influence of the 'zombie drug' in Punjab.

What is it?: 'Zombie drug' refers to xylazine, a veterinary sedative, commonly used as a tranquilizer for animals and is not approved for human use, as per the Mayo Clinic.

Who shared it?: The video was shared by Harbhajan Singh, former cricketer and Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who shared it as a video from Punjab on his X account.

• "The governments have ruined Punjab and its Punjabi youth. It makes me want to cry seeing all this," his post read.

An archived version of this post can be seen here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

But...?: The Punjab Police denied the claim. As per their statement, the video is from Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar, and not some place in Punjab, as claimed.

• Quoting the post, they clarified that the post had no connection to Punjab Police, and that "A Punjabi audio track does not make an incident a Punjab incident."

They also urged users to verify facts before sharing posts on social media, noting that "Responsible sharing matters."

What did we find?: A reverse image search on the viral video led us to an Instagram video shared by one 'fathe_singh66', who shared it on 9 August 2026.

• His video carried stamps mentioning the video's location as Sri Ganganagar, showing the date as 7 August 2026.

News reports: We looked for news reports regarding the video, using 'Sri Ganganagar zombie drug' as keywords for our search.

• A report by Hindustan Times mentioned that Rajasthan Police had arrested two men — identified as Yogesh and Jogendra — in connection with the viral 'zombie drug' video.

• Sri Ganganagar's Superintendent of Police (SP) Harishankar Yadav told them that the men had consumed Pregabalin, a prescription medication, and that the incident was "not a drug case."

• Media organisation Brut, too, shared a video corroborating the same details, adding that the medicine "can significantly depress the central nervous system and cause cognitive impairment."

• Additionally, a report by Aaj Tak specified that the video was shot outside an Indian Oil petrol pump on Jassa Singh Marg in Sri Ganganagar.

In a nutshell, a video reportedly from Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar went viral with the false claim that it showed people under the influence of a 'zombie drug' in Punjab.

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