Bhagwant Mann fined Rs 50,000 over 'undeclared items' in luggage at Delhi airport

• AAP alleges Bhagwant Mann was held at Delhi airport for three hours and fined Rs 50,000.

• Airport customs sources say the duty was imposed over undeclared items in his luggage.

• The incident triggers a political row, with AAP alleging harassment and the SAD claiming rules were violated.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was stopped at Delhi airport for around three hours and fined Rs 50,000 after returning from France, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has alleged, triggering a political exchange over the circumstances of the incident.

In a video message posted on X, AAP Punjab media in-charge Baltej Pannu alleged that Mann was deliberately humiliated and detained at the airport. He claimed the action was linked to the chief minister's visit to Paris, which he said took place under an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court despite the Centre's opposition.

Pannu said Mann had travelled to Paris to launch Punjab's products at a major international food festival. He alleged that the high court had directed that the chief minister be accorded due protocol, but that even the Consul General in Paris had not met him.

According to Pannu, Mann was kept waiting at Delhi airport on the grounds that his luggage was still arriving and being checked.

“After three hours, when Mann was allowed to leave and was about to depart after placing his luggage in a vehicle, officials came running after him and said that they were under ‘tremendous pressure from above’,” Pannu alleged.

He claimed that officials subsequently issued a challan for Rs 50,000 and alleged that the episode had been carried out under pressure from the Centre.

However, sources in the Delhi airport customs department said a customs duty of Rs 50,000 was imposed on Mann because he had failed to declare certain items in his luggage. They added that Mann was accompanied by staff members whose luggage was also checked.

AAP and SAD trade allegations

AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj criticised the Centre over the incident, accusing it of arrogance and linking the episode to the dispute over permission for Mann's foreign visit.

“The arrogance of Centre must end. Even Ravan's arrogance ended on Dussehra,” Bharadwaj wrote on X.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) general secretary Bikram Singh Majithia, meanwhile, claimed that Mann and his wife, Gurpreet Kaur, had been held for violating rules.

Majithia alleged that the couple were questioned for hours over claims that they were carrying more luggage or money than permitted and had failed to provide an explanation. He said they were eventually allowed to leave, taking Mann's position as chief minister into account.

He also claimed that officials had ordered checks of the luggage of the entire chief minister's office staff, including officials accompanying Mann.

The competing claims have fuelled a political dispute over the airport episode. While AAP has alleged deliberate harassment and humiliation, customs sources have attributed the Rs 50,000 levy to undeclared items in Mann's luggage.