Mann claims he was held for nearly three hours after returning from Paris, with Customs officials searching his luggage before issuing a challan. The alleged family connection and political motive remain unverified.
BY PC Bureau
Chandigarh, October 23, 2026: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has accused a senior Customs official at Delhi airport of deliberately humiliating him, alleging that the officer is the brother of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and that his detention was an act of political revenge.
Mann claimed he was held for nearly three hours at Indira Gandhi International Airport after returning from Paris. Customs officials searched his luggage for around two hours but found nothing incriminating, he said, alleging that a challan was issued despite the search yielding no adverse findings.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had earlier said the fine amounted to ₹50,000 and alleged that the officials acted under pressure from higher authorities. The claimed family relationship between the Customs official and the Chief Election Commissioner, as well as Mann’s allegation of political retaliation, could not be independently verified.
Mann identified the senior Customs official as Manish Kumar and alleged that the inspection was intended to settle scores with him. He did not present independently verified evidence establishing that the officer’s actions were directed by the Centre or linked to his political position.
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Dispute Over Paris Visit
Mann said he had travelled to France to attend a food festival where Markfed, the Punjab State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation, had set up stalls. He said officials from Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh had also displayed their products at the event.
The chief minister claimed he had initially faced difficulties obtaining permission to attend the festival and was able to proceed only after the High Court intervened.
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia separately claimed that Mann and his wife, Gurpreet Kaur, were detained for around three hours over questions concerning excess baggage or undeclared cash.
The AAP has described the airport incident as part of a broader pattern of obstruction and humiliation, linking it to alleged difficulties faced by the chief minister in securing clearance for overseas visits.
VIDEO | Chandigarh: On recent controversy at Delhi airport, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) says, “They kept us seated there for two hours, repeatedly saying that they were checking our luggage. But they found nothing in our luggage. The head of Customs at Delhi Airport, Manish, is the real brother of Gyanesh Kumar.”
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/bIyFWTfmBd)
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 23, 2026
Mann Broadens Attack on Centre
Mann also accused the Centre of undermining democratic institutions and weakening public confidence in the electoral process. He used the phrase “democratically elected dictator” to describe what he portrayed as the exercise of authoritarian power by leaders who had come to office through elections.
He alleged that electoral rolls were being altered through large-scale deletions and claimed that 14 crore names had been removed. The figure was not independently substantiated in the remarks available.
“Governments are now deciding who will vote and who will not,” Mann said.
Invoking Punjab’s history of resistance to oppression, he said his government would continue raising public issues. He alleged that all four pillars of democracy were being constrained and that electoral processes were being tilted in favour of particular groups.
Mann also criticised the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation, alleging that cases were registered close to elections and later dropped. He warned that Punjab could face similar action.
The allegations over the airport detention and the claimed family connection involving the Customs official remain unverified. No independently established evidence was available to confirm that the inspection was politically directed.
