Arrested BJP leader Tajinder Bagga brought back to Delhi after highway drama

A Haryana Police team intercepted their Punjab Police counterparts near Khanpur Kolian village in Kurukshetra, and handed over the BJP leader to the Delhi Police. Bagga was brought back to Delhi by Friday evening.

Delhi Police on Friday said that they have ‘recovered’ Delhi BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga from Haryana after he was allegedly ‘kidnapped’ from his house in west Delhi’s Janakpuri early morning, hours after a team of Punjab Police picked him up in connection with a case registered against him in Mohali.

The Punjab Police booked Tajinder Bagga on April 1 on the charges of making provocative statements, promoting enmity and criminal intimidation. (PTI)

A Haryana Police team intercepted their Punjab Police counterparts near Khanpur Kolian village in Kurukshetra, and handed over the BJP leader to the Delhi Police. Bagga was brought back to Delhi by Friday evening.

Bagga’s father, Preet Pal Singh ,67, a businessman, said that around 8.30pm, two cops from Punjab Police “who used to earlier come to deliver summons” came to his house, and got talking with him and his son. “We just had tea and were starting to get ready when the two policemen came. While we were talking to them, about 10-15 men entered the house and started draging Tajinder. He asked them for some time to wear his turban but they denied. They then started taking him forcibly and when I began to record a video, they took me to another room, snatched my phone and punched me in the face,” he alleged.

The Punjab Police booked Tajinder Bagga on April 1 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.

According to senior police officer, Singh did no mention the involvement of Punjab Police officers in his formal complaint.

Based on the complaint, police have registered a case under section 452 (house trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 365 (kidnapping or abduction), 342 (wrongful confinement), 392 (robbery), 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

Deputy commissioner of police (west) Ghanshyam Bansal said Singh reported that his son was abducted around 8.30am from his house by some unknown persons. “There were also other allegations in his complaint. Accordingly a case under relevant sections was registered. Thereafter, a wireless message was flashed and the said vehicle was intercepted by Haryana Police in Kurukshetra. A search warrant was obtained from the concerned Dwarka court in Delhi based on which assistance of Kurukshetra District police was taken to trace and recover the abducted victim. He was brought to Delhi to be produced before the concerned court,” he said.

DCP Bansal and additional commissioner of police Chinmoy Biswal stayed in Janakpuri Police station till late evening.

Meanwhile, when the Punjab Police team was on its way to Mohali with Bagga, another team of three state police officers including a DSP, an assistant sub-inspector and a constable reached Janakpuri police station to inform the local police about the arrest.

However, they were not allowed to leave, their lawyer RK Rathore alleged. “When this team came here to inform the local police, they were not allowed to leave. We then started recording videos after which they let us leave around 5:30pm,” Rathore said.

In a video that surfaced on Friday, the ASI who was among those who were allegedly forced into remain in custody, also called up the police control room call two hours after they reached Janakpuri police station. “We had come to the police station to inform the local police about the arrest of Bagga, but our DSP has been detained,” he said in the video.

Delhi Police could not be reached for a comment on whether Punjab Police officers were forced to stay custody.

Kurukshetra superintendent of police Anshu Singla, who was present when the Punjab Police team was stopped from moving towards Mohali, confirmed that Haryana Police got an input from Delhi Police to intercept a vehicle. He said the police team along with Bagga were taken to Kurukshetra’s Sadar police station.The BJP leader was handed over to the Delhi Police team at the Sadar police station, Singla said.

Soon after the Punjab Police team was stopped by their Haryana counterparts, the state government moved the Punjab and Haryana high court requesting that Bagga’s custody should not be given to the Delhi Police, and that he must be kept in Haryana. The court, however, turned down the plea, and said it will hear the matter on Saturday.

In the petition, the Punjab government accused the Haryana and the Delhi Police of illegally detaining its police officials at the Delhi’s Janakpuri police station and in Kurukshetra. Additional Solicitor General of India Satya Pal Jain, who appeared on behalf of the Delhi Police rejected the charge by the Punjab Police. “We told the court that we have not apprehended, arrested or detained any police officer anywhere in Delhi,” said Jain.

Delhi BJP and members of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha who were protesting outside the Janakpuri police station, burst into cheer around 3pm when they came to know that Tajinder was being brought back to Delhi.