Representative image. Leon Yaakov from Tel Aviv, ISRAEL, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
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Why it matters
The row involves a serving chief minister and a central agency, at a time when Punjab's government and the Centre are already in dispute over his foreign travel. How customs rules were applied, and whether the facts are made public, will decide which account holds up.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was made to pay ₹50,000 at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport after returning from a trip to Paris, and the episode has set off a sharp exchange between his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). AAP says the Bhagwant Mann fine was harassment ordered from above; the BJP says he failed to declare expensive goods. The Customs Department has not issued a public statement on the case.
What happened at Delhi airport customs
Bhagwant Mann and his wife, Dr Gurpreet Kaur, flew back from Paris on an Air France flight, Business Today reported, which put the incident on the night of 19 October 2026. He was stopped while leaving through the Green Channel, the exit meant for passengers who have nothing to declare to customs, and his baggage was then examined, the same report said.
Both AAP and the outlets that covered the story agree on two points: the Punjab chief minister was at the Delhi airport customs area for about three hours, and the amount levied was ₹50,000. Whether it was a customs duty, a penalty or a challan, which is a written demand to pay, is described differently by different sides. Customs has not said publicly which items were involved or how the amount was worked out, Business Today noted.
What AAP says about the Bhagwant Mann fine
Baltej Pannu, AAP’s media in-charge in Punjab, gave the party’s account in a video posted on X. He said Mann was deliberately kept waiting for three hours on the excuse that his luggage was still arriving or being checked. After that, Pannu said, officials came after the chief minister as his luggage was being loaded into a vehicle, told him they were under “tremendous pressure from above” and issued the ₹50,000 challan, Mint reported, citing the news agency Press Trust of India (PTI).
Pannu linked the episode to the Centre’s handling of Bhagwant Mann’s foreign travel. He said permission for Mann’s trips abroad had been refused at least four times, and that this visit took place only after the Punjab and Haryana High Court ruled in the state’s favour. He also said the Indian Consul General in Paris did not meet the chief minister, according to National Herald.
Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj said Mann had been humiliated and harassed at the airport. He contrasted the treatment with foreign trips by BJP chief ministers and by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
What the BJP and the Akali Dal say
The BJP gave a different account. National spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said in a video on X that Mann had brought back shoes worth ₹2.5 lakh, suits worth lakhs of rupees for his wife and expensive perfumes without declaring them, and accused AAP of playing the victim, Mint reported. He also asked why the purchases were not declared, and described the Paris visit as a holiday at taxpayers’ expense. AAP says the trip was made to promote Punjab’s products.
SAD general secretary Bikram Singh Majithia said Mann and his wife were questioned for hours over claims that they were carrying more luggage or money than permitted, and that they were finally allowed to go in view of his office, National Herald reported. He also said the luggage of the officials travelling with Mann was checked.
None of these accounts has been confirmed or denied by the Customs Department. Several outlets quoted unnamed customs officials on the items found; NewsPlainly has not included those details because no official has said them on record.
Why the Punjab chief minister went to Paris
Bhagwant Mann travelled to attend SIAL Paris 2026, a large international food trade fair held from 17 to 21 October, to promote Punjab’s farm and food products, Mint reported. The trip itself had been contested. The Centre had denied him political clearance, the central government’s permission for an official trip abroad, and the state government challenged that refusal in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which allowed the visit.
For Bhagwant Mann, the airport episode adds to a list of disputes between the AAP government in Punjab and the BJP-led Centre, which Pannu named in his statement: funds for the state and the long farmers’ protest at Delhi’s borders.
What is still not known
Three things remain unclear. Customs has not said which items were found, how much they were worth or what rule was applied. Bhagwant Mann has not spoken publicly about the details himself in the reports read for this article. And there is no independent confirmation of AAP’s claim that officials were acting on orders from above, or of the BJP’s list of items.
At Indian airports, passengers carrying goods that must be declared are expected to use the Red Channel rather than the Green Channel, and Business Today reported that the items in Mann’s baggage needed Red Channel clearance. An official statement from customs would be the first on-record account of what was found. The party statements quoted here are drawn from Mint’s report on the row and National Herald.
Frequently asked questions
Why was Bhagwant Mann fined at Delhi airport?
Customs has not said publicly. AAP calls it harassment under pressure from above; the BJP says he did not declare expensive goods.
How much was Bhagwant Mann fined?
₹50,000, according to AAP and every outlet that reported the story.
Why was Mann in Paris?
To attend SIAL Paris 2026, an international food trade fair, after the Punjab and Haryana High Court allowed the trip.