A case of kidnapping was registered by the Delhi Police hours after BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga was arrested by their Punjab counterparts from the national capital. Bagga was brought back to Delhi from Haryana earlier in the day following a few hours of drama and tussle among the police departments.
Officials said the Punjab Police personnel did not inform the local team before arresting Bagga from his residence in Delhi's Janakpuri.
The Punjab Police arrested Bagga, who is also national secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, in connection with a case registered against him in Mohali last month.
The BJP leader's father, Pritpal Singh Bagga (64), said some people came to his house in the morning and took away his son. A senior police officer said he filed a complaint following which the case of kidnapping was registered at Janakpuri police station.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Ghanshyam Bansal said they had received information from Pritpal Singh Bagga that his son had been abducted around 8.30am from his house by some unknown persons. There were also other allegations in his complaint, police said.
The case was registered under IPC sections 452 (house trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 392 (robbery), 342 (wrongful confinement), 365 (kidnapping), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 34 (common intention), according to the Delhi Police statement.
{{/usCountry}}The case was registered under IPC sections 452 (house trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 392 (robbery), 342 (wrongful confinement), 365 (kidnapping), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 34 (common intention), according to the Delhi Police statement.
{{/usCountry}}Thereafter, a wireless message was flashed and the said vehicle was intercepted by Haryana Police in Kurukshetra, the DCP said.
A search warrant was obtained from a Dwarka court based on which the assistance of Kurukshetra district police was taken to trace and recover the abducted victim, Bansal said.
In his complaint, Bagga's father said, “I was present at my home along with my son on Friday. Around 8.30 am, someone knocked on the door repeatedly. When I opened it, some people entered my home and manhandled me. Some of them had weapons."
"They started asking me where is Tajinder Singh Bagga? When I asked them what they wanted from Tajinder, they slapped me. Later, my son came there and they started beating him. When I tried to intervene, they pushed me,” the FIR stated.
"When I took out my phone to make their video, they beat me up and snatched the mobile. Later, they forcibly took away my son who was not allowed to wear a turban and was dragged out of the house,” it stated.
Pritpal Singh Bagga was accompanied by Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta when he went to file the FIR.
The Punjab Police team was stopped in Kurukshetra's Pipli, with a Haryana Police officer saying they had received information that Bagga was "forcibly" picked up from his residence.
A team from Delhi, including senior police officers, went to Kurukshetra, took Bagga's custody and left for the national capital, a Kurukshetra police officer said.
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP workers staged a protest outside the Janakpuri police station and raised slogans against the Punjab Police.
Last month, the Punjab Police had booked Tajinder Bagga on the charges of making provocative statements, promoting enmity and criminal intimidation. The case was registered on a complaint of AAP leader Sunny Ahluwalia, a resident of Mohali.
(With agency inputs)