Punjab Police 'arrested me as if I was a terrorist': Bagga

Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga on Saturday claimed that the Punjab police had barged into his home in large numbers and arrested him "as they do it with a terrorist".

Speaking to ANI, Bagga narrated the entire episode of his arrest.

"I was not shown any warrant. When nearly eight people picked me up, I told them to let me tie my turban. They did not give me the chance to wear the turban and slippers. I was thrown into the vehicle. I was kidnapped by the Punjab police. The local police were also not informed. Nearly 50 policemen came as they do it with a terrorist," he said.

"Nearly 10 police vehicles had come which could be seen in the CCTV footage. It is an attempt to give a message that whosoever speaks against Arvind Kejriwal would be the biggest terrorist and not spared," said Bagga.

Earlier in April, Bagga had claimed that the Punjab police officials reached his home while he was in Lucknow to arrest him without informing the Delhi police.

Bagga said that the Aam Aadmi Party registered an FIR based against him on the basis of a "trimmed" video from his remarks on a television show where he had sought an apology from Kejriwal for his speech on the exodus of Kashmiri pandits in the Delhi Assembly in March.

Bagga also slammed Delhi Chief Minister for "illegally" detaining him and said that his detention is an attempt to give a message that whosoever speaks against the AAP supremo would be termed the "biggest terrorist" and not spared.

Bagga reached his residence in Delhi on the intervening nights of Friday and Saturday after the Delhi police brought him back from Haryana where he was en route to Mohali after he was arrested by Punjab Police.

Kejriwal had reacted sharply to the BJP's demand to make the Vivek Agnihotri film 'The Kashmir Files' tax-free in the national capital, saying that the director should upload the movie on YouTube.

Talking about the developments after he was detained and en route to Mohali, the BJP leader said that he was no more manhandled, however, he was asked by the police to "stop talking about the two issues".

"After I was manhandled and beaten at home, they did not do it in the way because they perhaps had the orders. They were streaming it live. They asked me to stop talking about these two issues," he said.

After he was brought back by the Delhi police, Bagga was taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital in the national capital for a medical check-up on Friday night.

Claiming assault, Bagga said that "in the medical tests done at the hospital, marks of the assault were recorded. The Delhi Police will give security till the case proceedings are underway," he said.

Earlier yesterday, Bagga was arrested by Punjab Police from Delhi. On its way to Mohali, the Punjab Police team was intercepted its Haryana counterpart after the Delhi Police registered a kidnapping case based on a complaint by Bagga's father. Haryana Police surrounded the Punjab Police car carrying Bagga and escorted them off the highway to a police station in Kurukshetra. The Punjab police personnel were detained.

At the same time, the Punjab and Haryana high court turned down AAP-ruled Punjab's demand that Bagga be detained in Haryana instead of being handed over to Delhi cops.

Haryana Police acted on a request from the Delhi Police which rushed to a court for a search warrant based on the kidnapping complaint. With the search warrant in hand, a team of Delhi police reached Kurukshetra and "rescued" Bagga and brought him back to the national capital.