AAP Alleges Mann Was Held at Delhi Airport for Three Hours

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was stopped for about three hours at Delhi airport after returning from Paris, according to allegations by the Aam Aadmi Party, which also said he was issued a ₹50,000 challan. Customs officials, in a separate account, described the checks as routine and said nothing was found. AAP media in-charge Baltej Pannu said officials first cited Mann’s luggage as still arriving and later said it was being examined. He alleged that Mann was stopped again as he prepared to leave and that officials told him they were under pressure from above. Pannu said the officials then handed Mann the challan, but the party did not specify the reason for the alleged penalty. The accounts differ over whether Mann was singled out. Customs officials said the screening was based on intelligence and risk assessment, not targeted specifically at the chief minister. They said profiling teams were deployed for all flights and that some flights received additional scrutiny based on risk assessments. The officials said Mann cooperated and that nothing was found. AAP leaders characterized the incident as deliberate political targeting. Pannu alleged that the Centre had...