Cong leader Pawan Khera arrested by Assam Police for remarks against PM Modi

Khera was on his way to Raipur for the Congress plenary session when he was arrested by the Assam Police

High drama was witnessed in Delhi airport on Thursday morning after senior Congress leader Pawan Khera was deplaned and arrested by police in connection with a case registered in Assam, prompting a host of leaders heading to Raipur for party's plenary session to stage a protest on the tarmac.

Senior leaders KC Venugopal and Randeep Surjewala led the protest and argued with police personnel seeking an arrest warrant to take away Khera, party's Media Department Chairman. A case for making alleged derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi was registered against him in Assam and some other places.

Delhi Police said it had detained Khera from the Terminal-1 of the airport on the request of Assam Police, which later recorded his arrest.

A case has been registered at Haflong police station in Assam against Khera under various sections of the IPC, including 153 B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national interest), 500 (punishment for defamation) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), for his alleged remarks against the prime minister.

Earlier, Assam Police had arrested Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani for his comments against the Prime Minister. Mevani was arrested again in a separate case when he got bail from the court.

Congress termed the action "Hitlership" in the country and an attempt to derail the party's plenary session. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "Notices are served if the opposition raises issues in Parliament. ED raids are conducted on our leaders of Chhattisgarh before the Plenary. Today the party's Media Department Chairman was forcibly taken off the plane and arrested. The Modi government has turned India's democracy into a Hitlership. We strongly condemn this dictatorship."

Khera and other leaders had entered the IndiGo flight headed to Jaipur at 11:45 AM when the former was asked to deplane from the plane. Khera claimed he was asked to get down to sort out some issues with his luggage but he told them that he had only hand baggage.

However, he said, he was told that he had to come down and a Deputy Police Commissioner would meet him. A Congress leader travelling with Khera said he was told by airline staff that someone had put luggage in his name and he had to identify it.

As Khera was asked to deplane, senior leaders Venugopal, Surjewala, Supriya Shrinate and others also got down on their own and protested against the police action. Delhi Police officials said Khera faces a case against him and he could not travel to Raipur. The protest on the tarmac went on for some time and later Khera went with the police along with Surjewala.

Surjewala told reporters in Delhi airport, "we told police that they could take away if they could provide an FIR or a production warrant. We even said that it would suffice if they could give in writing that Khera is being taken away on the basis of an FIR in Assam. They did not do so. This illegal thing happened in Delhi international airport."

"A passenger was deplaned by the police at the Delhi airport from Raipur-bound flight 6E 204. Some other passengers have also decided to deboard on their own accord," IndiGo said in a statement. The airline had asked passengers to deboard following the protest and took them back to the terminal.

Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said the incident was "harassment -- pure and simple Modi style." He said freedom of speech is slowly weakening in India, but freedom after speech is fast becoming extinct...After ED raids, another attempt to derail Congress Plenary. Murder of Democratic India is the right acronym for Him."