New Delhi:The arrest and release of controversial BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga has pitted Delhi police against their Punjab counterparts amid a political slugfest. On Saturday, the Punjab and Haryana High Court adjourned proceedings in the matter of the alleged detention of Punjab Police officials by the Haryana Police till Tuesday, May 10. The states of Punjab and Delhi have filed reports of the incident, claiming that they had not detained any police officials.
Meanwhile, the Delhi police, on Saturday, said that it will provide security to Bagga since he has expressed fear for his safety. On Friday, the Punjab Police arrested Bagga from his residence in Janakpuri, but the Delhi police brought him back to the capital from Haryana, saying its Punjab counterparts did not inform them about the arrest.
Police versus police
It was quite dramatic as three police forces got involved in this case. While Punjab police officials arrested Bagga from Delhi and were taking him to Mohali, they were stopped in Kurukshetra by Haryana police. Soon after, Delhi police reached the spot and took Bagga back to the national capital. The Punjab Police eventually filed a petition in Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking the release of 12 police officials allegedly detained illegally by the Haryana Police. The matter was heard on Saturday
Police versus police in Tajinder Bagga case; HC adjourns hearing till May 10: Key developments However, the hearing has now been postponed to May 10 as a separate bench will hear the case, Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain, the lawyer for the Delhi Police, told reporters on Saturday afternoon. He added that a Delhi court had allowed Bagga to go home after he was brought back to the city on Friday.
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Punjab Advocate General Puneet Bali told reporters that the Delhi and Haryana Police have submitted to the court that they have not detained any personnel of the Punjab Police. “Haryana Police says that they have handed over the custody of Bagga to Delhi Police and Delhi Police says that they have been handed over the custody by Punjab Police,” Bali told reporters. “So, we will file reply on dichotomy in their replies. We will also take apt legal action, whatever required under law.”
Tajinder Bagga, Bali said, was an accused in the case and five notices were served against him by the Punjab Police. "But he did not appear in the case...Punjab Police had full right in this case to arrest him," he said.
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To mention, the Delhi Police had also filed a case of kidnapping based on a complaint by Bagga's father Pritpal Singh Bagga that "some people" came over to his house at around 8 am (Friday) and took away his son. Bagga, also the national secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, was held in connection with a case registered against him in Mohali last month. He was produced before a magistrate late on Friday, according to the Delhi Police officials. Bagga, accompanied by his friends and supporters, returned home around 1 am.
The case against Bagga
The case involves Bagga allegedly threatening Arvind Kejriwal during a protest outside the latter residence on March 30. A complaint against Bagga was filed by AAP's Punjab leader, Sunny Singh Ahluwalia. During the protest, Bagga, according to the complaint, had allegedly told television channels that “he would not let Kejriwal live”.
The protest was held by BJP members after Kejriwal said that the makers of the movie The Kashmir Files should release it on video streaming platform YouTube so that everyone could watch it free of cost. On Ahluwalia’s complaint, Bagga was booked by the Punjab Police on April 4 under Sections 153A (promoting enmity), 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), 505 (2) (statements creating or promoting enmity) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code on April 1.
Bagga wants an apology from Kejriwal
Bagga on Saturday termed his detention by the Punjab police as "illegal" and said that he will keep fighting until Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal apologised for his comments on Kashmiri Pandits. "I will continue this fight till Kejriwal apologises. He called the atrocities on Kashmir Pandits a lie (referring to The Kashmir Files)...even if he files 100 FIRs against me, I will continue this battle," he said.
"I was present at my home along with my father on Friday. Around 8.30 am, someone knocked the door repeatedly. When my father opened it, some persons entered and manhandled him. Some of them had weapons. They slapped my father and snatched his and my phones. They did not allow me to wear a turban and I was dragged out of the house," Bagga said.
Mother questions Kejriwal
His mother, Kamaljeet Kaur, meanwhile, alleged that Punjab police acted on the direction of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. "Punjab police came to my son's residence in Delhi and dragged him in the police van. The cops did not even gave him a chance to wear turban. When my husband tried to make videos on his phone, they snatched the phone and took it away with themselves," said Kaur, who staying in Muzaffarpur, Bihar.
"The entire conspiracy was done by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal," she asserted. "My son has not used any wrong words for Kejriwal. He was involved in a protest after Kejriwal declared 'The Kashmir Files' a 'fake' movie in the Delhi Vidhan Sabha and the AAP MLAs were laughing at it." "My son argued that whatever happened with Kashmiri Pandits in the valley was the second biggest massacre in the country after 1947 and you (Kejriwal) are terming the movie, which highlighted brutality against Kashmiri Pandits in the valley, fake. He (Bagga) had sought Kejriwal's apology over the issue, which is not derogatory by any means. If you (Kejriwal) do not apologise for your statement, BJP members would protest against you and not allow you to live with peace," Kaur said.
"Is this an objectionable or derogatory statement that Kejriwal has used police power to harass my son and created ruckus," she asked. "My husband somehow contacted me using a phone of a passerby and I informed my family friends and neighbours to go to my house and help my husband. Delhi police informed us that Punjab police did not contact them for the raid. I learnt from the media that the Punjab police convoy was stopped somewhere in Haryana," Kaur said.
"My son was exposing the wrongdoings of the AAP government. There is no development in Delhi. The condition of Mohalla clinic is pathetic. No new hospital was opened in Delhi. Even, AAP government has renovated only 2 to 4 rooms of schools and are using them as a show-off to fool the people. The AAP government did not help patients during Covid," she claimed. "As he (Kejriwal) has gained power in Punjab, he is threatening his political opponents who are involved in exposing the AAP government. He is trying to suppress the voice of opposition leaders," she said.
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