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BJP's Bagga ‘not allowed to wear turban amid arrest’: Minority body takes note
Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga's arrest this week has triggered a huge political storm in Delhi.
A day after the BJP’s Tajinder Bagga alleged that he was not allowed to wear a turban when the Punjab Police came to arrest him at his West Delhi home, National Commission for Minorities chairman Iqbal Singh Lalpura on Saturday wrote to the state’s chief secretary, seeking a report “within seven days”. "We have written to the Punjab chief secretary seeking a report within seven days on BJP leader Tajinder Singh Bagga not being allowed to wear a turban while he was arrested by the Punjab police,” the NCM chief told news agency ANI.
In a tweet, the Punjab unit of the BJP yet again repeated the allegations that Tajinder Pal Bagga’s father was thrashed during the arrest. “National Minorities Commission chairman Iqbal Singh Lalpura has sought a report from the chief secretary of Punjab in seven days - while arresting BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga from Delhi, the police did not even allow him to tie the turban and his father was thrashed,” the post, roughly translated from Hindi, read.
Thanking the minority body, Bagga was quoted as saying by ANI: “I thank the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Minority Commission who showed yesterday that law still works in this country. The panel sent a notice to the Punjab government for not letting me wear my turban. In Sikhs, we can't go out without a turban.”
"The Commission has taken suo-moto cognizance of the media reports that Tajinder Singh Bagga, a person belonging to Sikh Minority community, was allegedly not allowed to wear his turban during his arrest by Punjab police on May 6, 2022. This is a serious case of violation of the religious rights of a Sikh person. You are, accordingly, requested to submit a factual report on the alleged incident and media report within 7 days that is latest by May 14, 2022 to the Commission," ANI reported, citing the letter.
Bagga, 36, got a midnight relief from the Punjab and Haryana high court on Saturday, which has stayed his arrest in a case filed in Punjab over his alleged threat to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, till Tuesday.
He was released on Friday hours after his arrest when the Delhi Police and the Haryana Police intervened. The BJP leader had also alleged assault by the Punjab Police, which has claimed hat he was not appearing for a probe in the state. A case was filed against him over his threat to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.
The action against him by the police in Bhagwant Mann-ruled state has triggered a fresh standoff between the AAP and the BJP.
(With inputs from ANI)
