AAP Claims Mann Held 3 Hours at Delhi Airport; Customs Says Routine'ਆਪ' ਦਾ ਦਾਅਵਾ: ਮਾਨ ਦਿੱਲੀ ਹਵਾਈ ਅੱਡੇ 'ਤੇ 3 ਘੰਟੇ ਰੋਕੇ; ਕਸਟਮ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਆਮ ਜਾਂਚ

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was held at Delhi airport for around three hours after returning from Paris, the Aam Aadmi Party claimed on Tuesday. Customs officials told Times Now it was routine screening and "nothing was found", setting up another Centre versus Punjab row.

What AAP alleged

Punjab AAP media in-charge Baltej Pannu said Mann was detained for three hours and fined Rs 50,000, with officials citing "tremendous pressure from above", according to The Times of India. The party did not say why he was stopped or why a fine was imposed. Saurabh Bharadwaj wrote on X that Mann had gone to Paris to launch Punjab products and that "this arrogance of the Centre must end", as reported by Times Now.

Link to the NOC dispute

AAP tied the incident to the Centre's repeated refusal of permission for Mann's foreign trips. Bharadwaj said the stop came after Mann challenged the Centre over a No-Objection Certificate (NOC). Pannu also accused the Centre of withholding Punjab's funds and mishandling the farmers' protest. These are the party's claims.

What Customs said

Top Customs officials told Times Now the checks were part of routine, intelligence-based risk screening applied to flights and were not aimed at the Punjab chief minister. "Mann cooperated with us. It was not a big issue. Nothing was found," they said. The fine and the exact length of the stop were not confirmed by Customs in the reports we opened.

Why it matters

The episode comes on a day when Mann and Union Home Minister Amit Shah traded sharp words over Punjab's drug crisis ahead of the state elections. Read our earlier report on Mann's reply to Shah.

Was Bhagwant Mann detained at Delhi airport?

AAP says he was held for about three hours after returning from Paris. Customs says it was a routine screening and he cooperated.

Was Bhagwant Mann fined Rs 50,000?

AAP's Baltej Pannu claimed so, as reported by The Times of India. Customs did not confirm a fine in the reports we saw.

Why was Mann in Paris?

According to AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj, he travelled to Paris to launch Punjab's products.