AAP alleged that Bhagwant Mann was stopped for three hours at Delhi airport and issued a Rs 50,000 challan. The party linked the incident to repeated hurdles allegedly created by the Centre for his foreign visits.
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”.
ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਜੀ ਕੋਈ ਮੌਕਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਜਾਣ ਦਿੰਦੇ ਜਦੋਂ ਪੰਜਾਬੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਬੇਇੱਜ਼ਤ ਨਾ ਕਰਨ
ਦਿੱਲੀ ਏਅਰਪੋਰਟ ਤੇ ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਭਗਵੰਤ ਮਾਨ ਜੀ ਨੂੰ ਰਾਤ ਤਿੰਨ ਘੰਟੇ ਇਸੇ ਖਿੱਝ ਤਹਿਤ ਰੋਕੀ ਰੱਖਿਆ ਕਿ ਉਹ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਜੀ ਦੇ ਰੋਕਣ ਦੇ ਬਾਵਜ਼ੂਦ ਅਦਾਲਤੀ ਹੁਕਮ ਨਾਲ ਪੈਰਿਸ ਕਿਉਂ ਗਏ?
ਅਤੇ ਉਨਾਂ ਦੇ ਉੱਥੋਂ ਜਾਣ ਦੇ ਬਾਅਦ 50 ਹਜ਼ਾਰ ਦਾ ਚਲਾਣ ਬਣਾ ਦਿੱਤਾ— Baltej Pannu (@BaltejPannu) October 20, 2026
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.