The BJP and the AAP as well as police forces of two states and Delhi were involved in high drama over the arrest of saffron party leader Tajinder Bagga on Friday.
The Punjab Police arrested Bagga after he failed to reply to more than five summons issued against him in a case registered in connection with his provocative statements against CM Arvind Kejriwal.
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The drama started on Friday morning when Bagga was picked up by the Punjab Police from his Janakpuri residence in Delhi. Preetpal Singh Bagga, his father, alleged that dozens of policemen entered their home to arrest Tajinder. He alleged that the police manhandled him when he was trying to record the incident. Preetpal said Tajinder was not allowed to don his turban before the Punjab Police whisked him away.
Soon enough, the Delhi Police, which reports to the Centre, filed a case of kidnapping against their Punjab counterparts, over a complaint lodged by Tajinder’s father. The Delhi Police alleged that they were not informed about Bagga’s arrest in due time.
However, the Punjab Police said a team had reached a police station in Delhi on Thursday evening. After Bagga was taken out of Delhi, the Haryana Police intercepted the vehicle in Mohali.
Meanwhile, officers of the Delhi Police landed there with search warrants to “rescue” Tajinder, who was then brought back to Delhi.
Blame game
The unprecedented turn of events has wedged a wider chasm between the BJP and AAP, as both parties started a blame game immediately.
BJP leaders put their might behind Bagga, with BJP leaders from Delhi protested against Kejriwal in the police station, and party leaders Amit Malviya, Tejasvi Surya and Ashwini Vaishnav came out in his support on Twitter.
Meanwhile, AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj said Tajinder has incited communal hatred.
“If you see the social media accounts of Tajinder Singh Bagga, you will find foul language, and tweets instigating violence. Posts related to spreading violence among communities are his USP. Tajinder Bagga was alleged for assaulting a 70-year-person in Supreme Court. He tried to instigate communal violence in Punjab, that’s why Punjab Police filed a lawsuit against him,” he said.