The Punjab Police vehicles taking Delhi BJP spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga from Delhi to Mohali on Friday got held up in Haryana's Kurukshetra.
Bagga was arrested from his home in the national capital earlier on Friday in connection to a case registered against him in Aam Aadmi Party-ruled Punjab's Mohali last month. Bagga has been vocal against AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Sources told PTI that Punjab Police vehicles have been taken to a police station in Kurukshetra's Pipli. NDTV reported that a team of Delhi Police has also reached there.
Asked why the Punjab police team had been stopped, a Haryana police official said there was information that Bagga had been "forcibly" picked up from his residence.
Punjab police has reportedly sent a letter to Haryana's director general of police clarifying that they have not kidnapped Bagga and that the Haryana police's are needlessly stopping the convoy.
"We have to verify and crosscheck these things," he said.
Senior Haryana police officials were present at the spot. There were also reports of some BJP workers reaching the Pipli police station to protest Bagga's arrest.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police has registered a case of kidnapping of Bagga based on a complaint from his father that some people came to his house in Delhi's Janakpuri around 8 am and took away his son. Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta said a complaint has been lodged at the Janakpuri police station in the national capital over the Punjab Police allegedly beating Bagga's father.
"Sending 50-60 Punjab Police personnel to the house of the young BJP leader, forcibly lifting him and getting his elderly father beaten up is proof of the dictatorial mindset of Arvind Kejriwal," said Gupta in a tweet in Hindi.
NDTV reported that Delhi police claimed they were not informed prior to Bagga's arrest. Refutign the claim, Punjab police said Delhi Police was informed and one of their teams has been at Janakpuri police station since last evening.
The Punjab police, in a statement, said Bagga was being brought to Punjab and would be produced before a court.
Bagga, 36, was arrested in the morning from his home following due process of law, the Punjab Police said while claiming that despite being served five notices, he did not join the investigation.
Last month, the Punjab Police booked him on charges of making provocative statements, promoting enmity and criminal intimidation. The case was registered on a complaint of AAP leader Sunny Ahluwalia, a resident of Mohali. The FIR registered on April 1 referred to Bagga's remarks on March 30, when he was part of a BJP youth wing protest outside the Kejriwal's residence.
Bagga came under fire from the AAP, which is ruling both Delhi and Punjab, for his tweet against Kejriwal over 'The Kashmir Files' movie.
Bagga's arrest triggered a strong reaction from the BJP which accused the Punjab Police of "abducting" the party spokesperson, and alleged that Kejriwal is pursuing vendetta through the state police. It also alleged that Kejriwal has a "dictatorial mindset".
BJP leader from Punjab and the party's national general secretary Tarun Chugh tweeted, "The manner in which Kejriwal is misusing Punjab Police is condemnable. The Punjab Police has arrested Bagga from his home. They behaved inhumanly with Bagga and his father. But remember (Arvind) Kejriwal Ji, your such acts cannot scare a true Sikh.
BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa alleged that a Sikh, a reference to Bagga, has been "insulted" despite Punjab having a Sikh chief minister in Bhagwant Mann. Bagga had been "unmasking" Kejriwal's lies, and that is why he has been targeted, Sirsa said at a press conference.
Another Delhi BJP leader, Nupur Sharma, cited a court ruling to say that police from another state must inform local police before making any arrest. Punjab Police's action, she said, was illegal as it did not inform its Delhi counterparts.
In the morning, Delhi BJP leader Kapil Mishra claimed that "over 50 Punjab police personnel arrested Tejinder Bagga from his house. It seems Arvind Kejriwal has used the Punjab Police's might to silence Bagga".
In a video posted on Twitter, he alleged the Punjab Police was being "misused" against activists and not for maintaining law and order in the state.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said the party strongly condemns the arrest of Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga.
"It's highly shameful that Kejriwal has started political misuse of power and the police in AAP-ruled Punjab to scare his opponents. Every citizen of Delhi stands with Bagga and his family in this hour of crisis," he said.
Following the arrest, the Punjab Police, in a statement, said "The accused was served five notices under Sections 41 A CrPC to come and join the investigation. The notices dated April 9, 11, 15, 22 and 28 were duly served upon. Despite that, the accused deliberately did not join the investigation."
"On Friday morning, by following due process of law, the accused has been arrested from his home in Janakpuri, New Delhi. He is being brought to Punjab and will be produced before a court," it said, adding that further investigation was on.
The FIR against Bagga was registered under relevant IPC sections, including 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place, etc.), 505 (whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement, rumour or report) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
According to the Punjab Police statement, the FIR was based on a complaint about "instigation/incitement/criminal intimidation to cause violence, use of force, imminent hurt in a predesigned and orchestrated manner by making/publishing provocative, false and communal inflammatory statements through his interview given to the media and through his Twitter posts".
Delhi BJP leaders protest Bagga's arrest
Delhi BJP leaders and workers headed by state president Adesh Gupta staged a protest against arrest of party spokesperson Tajinderpal Singh Bagga by Punjab Police.
The protesters raised slogans against AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and the Punjab Police even as police here tried to stop them from moving to AAP headquarters on DDU Marg.
Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Delhi BJP vice president Virendra Sachdeva, Vikram Mittal, party spokesperson Praveen Kapoor and many other leaders were present in the protest.
Bagga was arrested by Punjab Police from his home in Janakpuri area in connection with a case registered in Mohali last month.
In a high-voltage drama, a Delhi Police team took Bagga’s custody in Kurukshetra, Haryana from the Punjab Police after having them stopped by their Haryana counterparts.
Bagga was booked by the Punjab Police on charges related to making provocative statements, promoting enmity, and criminal intimidation.
The case was registered on a complaint made by AAP leader Sunny Ahluwalia.
(With PTI inputs)
