The issue of not allowing BJP leader Tajinder Singh Bagga to wear a turban is gaining momentum. National Commission for Minorities Chairman Iqbal Singh Lalpura has sought a report from the Chief Secretary of Punjab in this regard within seven days. “We have written to the Punjab Chief Secretary seeking a report within seven days that Bagga was not allowed to wear the turban even though he was arrested by the Punjab Police,” he said.
In a letter to the Punjab Chief Secretary, the Commission said, “The Commission has taken suo motu cognizance of media reports that Bagga, a person belonging to the Sikh minority community, was not permitted to wear a turban during his arrest by the Punjab Police on May 6, 2022. It is a serious matter. There is a case of violation of religious rights of a Sikh person. The commission appeals to you to submit the factual report on the alleged incident within 7 days.”
‘Don’t take punitive steps against Bagga’
At the same time, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Saturday night directed that no coercive step should be taken against Bagga. Earlier, the Delhi BJP leader had filed a petition in the High Court seeking a stay on the arrest warrant issued by a Mohali court earlier in the day. The court will consider Bagga’s plea on May 10, seeking quashing of the FIR lodged against him last month.
What is the case against Bagga?
The Punjab Police had registered a case against Bagga for making provocative statements, promoting enmity and making criminal intimidation. The case was registered on the complaint of AAP leader Sunny Ahluwalia, a resident of Mohali. The FIR lodged on April 1 refers to Bagga’s remarks of March 30, which he made during a BJP Yuva Morcha protest outside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence. Bagga was arrested by the Punjab Police on Friday from his Delhi residence. However, the policemen who were taking Bagga to Punjab were stopped in Haryana, after which the Delhi Police brought them back to Delhi.