Rain ruins Chandigarh petrol langar, annoys crowd; influencer promises 3-day run

A free petrol langar in Chandigarh, announced by influencer Rakesh Trehan, aka Raja D King, drew people out in pouring rain, only for many to return home with empty tanks and feeling anguished. Trehan has now promised a three-day comeback, weather and crowds permitting.Rakesh Trehan, alias Raja D King, rescheduled his petrol langar for Friday after rain left crowds waiting. (Images: Social Media)In the times of soaring fuel prices, free petrol was on offer. People of Chandigarh turned up at a fuel station hoping to get their hands on it. The weather looked inclement, so they came prepared with umbrellas and raincoats. But the rain had other plans.An unusual "petrol langar" announced on social media drew a large crowd to a fuel station in Chandigarh on August 18 despite a heavy downpour. However, the people had to return without the promised free fuel coupons. Several people complained that they had waited for hours, while organiser Rakesh Trehan, an Amritsar-based social media influencer better known as "Raja D King", said the event had been postponed because of rain and waterlogging. Following the backlash, Trehan promised another round for three days, starting Friday, August 21.Trehan, who is behind the unusual giveaway, has described himself as a crypto trader and a former stock-market investor. He recently told reporters that he wanted to donate 90% of the wealth he inherited from his father as well as 90% of his own wealth. Trehan has also distributed food and Rs 500 notes to needy people and has claimed an "iPhone langar" could be next, according to PTI.Langar, the tradition of serving free meals to all regardless of caste or creed, is rooted in Sikhism and was institutionalised by the Sikh Gurus. It became embedded in the culture of Punjab and other parts of northern undivided India, and remains widespread across the region today. Today, the idea of langar has expanded beyond meals. People organise everything from tea and water to medicines and fuel as acts of free community service.Reacting to videos of people braving the rain to fill their tanks with the promised coupons, some raised a few questions. Chandigarh-based journalist Rishu Raj Singh questioned the spectacle in a post on X. "Politicians have got people so used to everything being 'free' that today, a person from Amritsar announced a 'free petrol langar' in Chandigarh... People actually stood in the rain, waiting for free petrol," Singh wrote on X, before asking, "And Chandigarh's people seriously, what are we becoming?"A Haryana-based person, Ritu Joon, also questioned the giveaway, asking whether it was charity or merely a publicity stunt. "Amritsar businessman Rakesh Trehan opened India's first petrol langar in Chandigarh yesterday... Is it charity or a publicity show?" She asked on X. FREE PETROL ON OFFER, BUT THE RAIN CAME FIRSTTrehan's plan was easy enough to draw attention and a huge crowd. He announced that the owners of two-wheelers and three-wheelers would receive petrol coupons worth Rs 500, while four-wheeler owners were promised Rs 1,000 coupons.The event was scheduled for August 18, with people gathering around the designated petrol station in Sector 10. But Chandigarh and its outskirts were lashed by heavy rain, and images and videos showed a sizeable crowd waiting in the downpour. News agency ANI reported that despite the gathering, no fuel was distributed.That left some who had braved the weather annoyed."I reached here despite heavy rain. I have been waiting here for two hours, but no free coupon was given. Now, we are told that coupons will be given on Friday," a youth at the petrol station told PTI.Some people even reached the fuel station without vehicles carrying huge containers. Trehan said he had asked people without vehicles not to turn up. He revealed that he was shown pictures of people who did not even own bicycles. Trehan added, he was told some people might obtain the petrol only to sell it to someone else."This was wrong...," he told ANI.A day after the rain spoilt the petrol langar plans, Trehan insisted the langar had only been postponed, not abandoned."One hundred percent, the Langar will be organised. It was supposed to happen yesterday, and therefore my team had reached there... This crowd was nothing; had there not been a storm and rain, the crowd would have been bigger," Trehan told ANI on Wednesday.RAJA D KING EXPLAINS WHAT WENT WRONGTrehan said he had originally announced the event for 5-6 pm (August 18) and apologised to those who had been inconvenienced."If you say at 10 pm that you were waiting for 5-6 hours and Raja did not come, then I apologise for it. But if you say at 5 pm that you were waiting since 12 noon, then who called you so early? Still, I apologise..." he told ANI.In a separate statement to PTI, Trehan gave a more detailed timeline. He said he had messaged people around 3.30 pm asking them not to come because of the heavy rain and waterlogging. He said that when he stepped out around 4.20 pm, he realised travelling from his Sector 8 residence to the petrol pump in Sector 10 could take two to two-and-a-half hours.Trehan also claimed there was no shortage of coupons. The cards, he said, had initially been meant for distribution on a single day, but the exercise would now run for three days. Even if the crowd that gathered on Tuesday were multiplied threefold, he claimed, there would still be enough cards for the people.The rescheduled distribution is slated to begin Friday and continue through Sunday.The first "Petrol Langar" delivered plenty of crowds, but no petrol. Trehan's promise means Chandigarh gets another shot this weekend, provided the weather, and the crowds, cooperate.- EndsPublished By: Sushim MukulPublished On: Aug 20, 2026 15:17 IST