NCM seeks report within seven days over Tajinder Bagga 'not allowed' turban during arrest

National Commission for Minorities Chairman Iqbal Singh Lalpura on Saturday said that the commission has sought report from Punjab chief secretary "within seven days" on allegations that BJP leader Tajinder Singh Bagga was not allowed to wear turban while being arrested by Punjab Police from his New Delhi residence.

While talking to ANI, he said, "We have written to the Punjab chief secretary seeking a report within seven days on BJP leader Tajinder Singh Bagga not being allowed to wear a turban while he was arrested by Punjab police."

The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) on Saturday took suo-moto cognizance of the reports that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Tajinder Singh Bagga was allegedly not allowed to wear his turban during his arrest by Punjab police.

"The Commission has taken suo-moto cognizance of the media reports that Tajinder Singh Bagga, a person belonging to Sikh Minority community, was allegedly not allowed to wear his turban during his arrest by Punjab police on May 6, 2022. This is a serious case of violation of the religious rights of a Sikh person. You are, accordingly, requested to submit a factual report on the alleged incident and media report within 7 days that is latest by May 14, 2022 to the Commission," the Commission had said in a letter to Punjab Chief Secretary.

Notably, Bagga reached his residence in Delhi on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday after he was detained by Punjab Police in the national capital yesterday. After this, he claimed that the Punjab police had barged into his home in large numbers and arrested him "as they do it with a terrorist".

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 (AAP) 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 Arvind Kejriwal 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.

Meanwhile, Mohali court in Punjab on Saturday issued an arrest warrant against Bagga and instructed police to arrest him and produce him before the court.

( With inputs from ANI )