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

New Delhi, May 8: The National Commission for Minorities has taken suo-moto cognizance of the media reports which claimed that BJP leader Tajinder Singh Bagga was not allowed to wear turban while being arrested by Punjab Police from his New Delhi residence.

It has sought report from Punjab chief secretary "within seven days" over the issue. "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.

"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.

Meanwhile, in a reprieve for Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, the Punjab and Haryana High Court Saturday night directed that no coercive step be taken against the Delhi BJP leader after he sought a stay on the arrest warrant issued by a Mohali court earlier in the day.

Hours after the Mohali court issued the arrest warrant in connection with a case registered against him by the Punjab Police last month, Bagga moved the high court challenging it.

Justice Anoop Chitkara took up Bagga's petition in an urgent hearing at his residence just before midnight. "No coercive steps till May 10," said Bagga's counsel Chetan Mittal on the high court order.

Notably, on May 10, the high court is to take up Bagga's petition, seeking quashing of the FIR registered against him last month. Mittal said that the court stayed the arrest warrant. The hearing took place for around 45 minutes, said Mittal.

Earlier in the day, the court of Judicial Magistrate Ravtesh Inderjit Singh issued the arrest warrant against Bagga in connection with a case registered last month. The Punjab Police had booked Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga on the charges of making provocative statements, promoting enmity and criminal intimidation. The case was registered on a complaint of AAP leader Sunny Ahluwalia, a resident of Mohali.

The FIR registered on April 1 referred to Bagga's remarks on March 30, when he was part of a BJP youth wing protest outside the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Bagga was booked under relevant sections, including 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place etc), 505 (whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement, rumour or report) and 506 (criminal intimidation), of the Indian Penal Code. Bagga was arrested by the Punjab Police from his Delhi home on Friday, stopped in Haryana while being taken to Punjab and brought back to the national capital by Delhi Police hours later. PTI