Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has spoken about his experience at Delhi Airport after returning from France. He said on Friday that he was made to wait for two hours while Customs officials checked his luggage. According to Mann, the officials did not find anything during the check.
When asked if he felt he was being harassed, Mann alleged that the incident was linked to the head of Customs at Delhi Airport, whom he identified as Manish, the brother of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Mann claimed that the official took revenge whenever he got an opportunity. The allegation has not been independently verified. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also not explained what items Mann was carrying or what led officials to stop him.
AAP Had Earlier Claimed Mann Was Held for Three Hours and Was Fined ₹50,000
The issue came into focus earlier this week after the AAP claimed that Mann was stopped at Delhi Airport for three hours when he returned from Paris. The party also alleged that officials issued a ₹50,000 challan against him under what it described as “immense pressure from above”.
Former Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj raised the matter in a post on X. Referring to Dussehra, he said the arrogance of the central government should also be broken, drawing a comparison with Ravana’s defeat.
Mann had travelled to Paris to attend SIAL Paris 2026, an international food trade exhibition held from October 17 to 21.
AAP Leader Says Fine Came Just Before Mann Left
Baltej Pannu, the Punjab AAP’s media in-charge, gave another account of the airport incident. In a video shared on X, he claimed officials first raised questions about the arrival and inspection of the luggage.
According to Pannu, Mann was about to leave when his belongings were being loaded into his vehicle. He alleged that officials issued the challan at that point and referred to pressure from higher authorities.
The Customs Department’s account of the incident has not been included in the information provided by the AAP.
Court Allowed Mann to Travel to France
The airport episode followed a dispute over Mann’s permission to visit France. The Ministry of External Affairs had denied permission for the trip, citing concerns about threats from radical groups.
The Punjab government challenged the decision in the High Court. It argued that Mann’s visit was not political and was intended to promote the state’s commercial and agricultural interests.
On October 16, the Punjab and Haryana High Court allowed Mann to travel to France. He then attended the SIAL Paris exhibition.
The airport incident has now led to fresh allegations from the AAP against the Centre. The circumstances surrounding the luggage check and the reported fine remain unclear from the details available so far.