The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday claimed that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was stopped for around three hours at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport after returning from Paris and was subsequently issued a challan of Rs 50,000. The party alleged that the action was deliberate and linked it to what it described as repeated obstacles created by the Centre for Mann's official foreign visits.
AAP Punjab media in-charge Baltej Pannu made the allegations in a video statement posted on X. According to Pannu, officials initially cited delays involving luggage arriving or being checked. He claimed that when Mann was about to leave after his baggage had been loaded into his vehicle, officials issued the challan, saying they were under "tremendous pressure from above".
AAP leaders, including Saurabh Bharadwaj, also raised the issue, describing the alleged treatment of Mann as an insult to Punjab. The party linked the incident to the Centre's earlier denial of political clearance for Mann's foreign trips and other alleged hurdles.
Mann had travelled to Paris to attend the SIAL Paris international food exhibition from October 17 to 21, with the stated objective of promoting Punjab's products through a Markfed stall. The Centre had denied political clearance for the visit, but the Punjab and Haryana High Court set aside the decision and allowed him to travel, directing that due protocol be followed. AAP had also complained that the Consul General in Paris did not meet the chief minister.
Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia had earlier claimed that Customs officials stopped Mann and his wife, Gurpreet Kaur, for around three hours over suspected excess luggage or money beyond permitted limits. According to Majithia, the couple was questioned and was eventually allowed to leave in view of Mann's position as chief minister.
Majithia also claimed that instructions had been issued to check the bags of staff accompanying the chief minister's office (CMO).
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