Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Detained at Delhi Airport, Fined Rs 50,000

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was detained by officials at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi for nearly three hours upon his arrival from Paris, France. CM Mann was returning after attending a food trade summit in Paris when airport officials stopped him under the pretext of luggage inspection.

Following the inspection, officials issued a fine of Rs 50,000 to the Chief Minister. Airport sources indicated that the fine was imposed as per customs regulations due to undeclared items found in his luggage.

AAP Media In-charge Baltej Pannu stated that the fine was levied due to high-level political pressure. Aam Aadmi Party leaders alleged that the ruling party at the Centre intentionally harassed and humiliated the Chief Minister by making him wait for hours under the guise of security checks.

Under standard customs procedure, passengers arriving from abroad are subject to luggage screening, and penalties are levied if undeclared dutiable goods are detected. However, the prolonged detention of a sitting Chief Minister at the airport has sparked a major political controversy.