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‘This is how they take revenge’: Mann targets Centre on being ‘detained’ at Delhi airport
Recounting the episode during a discussion in the Punjab assembly on an official resolution against alleged electoral irregularities, Mann said he was detained by officials at the Delhi airport on his return from Paris, where he had attended a food fair
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Days after being “detained” at the Delhi airport upon his return from Paris and fined ₹50,000, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday linked chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to the incident, claiming that the poll panel chief’s brother Manish Kumar headed the customs department at the airport.
“Who is the head of customs at the Delhi airport? Manish, the brother of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. This is how these people take revenge,” Mann alleged, targeting the central government.
Recounting the episode during a discussion in the Punjab assembly on an official resolution against alleged electoral irregularities, Mann said he was detained by officials at the Delhi airport on his return from Paris, where he had attended a food fair.
He alleged that he was asked to pay an “arbitrary” ₹50,000 challan despite nothing objectionable being found in his belongings. The chief minister said he was asked to sit at the airport for two hours and follow the protocol. “They asked me to have my luggage checked, and I complied with the inspection. Nothing objectionable was found among my belongings,” he said.
The chief minister claimed that the officers told him they were under pressure from above and would, therefore, have to issue a challan as it was a matter of their jobs.
The chief minister also mentioned Gyanesh Kumar’s daughter, who is the district magistrate of Noida, without naming her.
Mann visited Paris to participate in SIAL Paris 2026, an international food trade exhibition held from October 17 to 21. His visit came after the Punjab and Haryana high court allowed a plea filed by the Punjab government challenging the Centre’s decision to deny him “political clearance” for the visit.
Recounting his experience in Paris, Mann said major brands from across the world were participating in the food fair and Markfed’s SOHNA had also set up its own stall there. “There were around 150 stalls from India. Stalls from other states of India invited me to visit their stalls and I visited all of them,” he said.
‘Baseless allegations’: BJP hits back
Punjab BJP state general secretary Anil Sarin dismissed Mann’s claims as ridiculous, accusing him of attempting to mislead the public through baseless allegations.
“The chief minister must first clarify which items led to him being stopped at the Delhi airport and why the customs department imposed the fine. Before making allegations against others, Mann should come clean on the facts of the matter,” he added, accusing Mann of attempting to politicise the customs department’s action instead of providing a clear explanation of the incident.
Sarin said Mann could not evade accountability by claiming that the head of the customs department at the Delhi Airport was the CEC’s brother.
Sarin further pointed out that passengers arriving at and departing from the Delhi airport were routinely subjected to security checks and customs procedures.
He said while the chief minister might be exempt from personal screening under protocol, his luggage would not necessarily enjoy the same exemption. The exemption, he added, would not automatically extend to members of his entourage either.
(With agency inputs)
