BJP’S Bagga moves court, wants phone returned, security upped

Karn Pratap Singh

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party youth wing leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, on Monday moved two separate applications before a Delhi court, seeking directions to the Delhi Police “for the extension and enhancement” of his security and for “releasing his and his father’s cellphones”.

The phones were taken into possession by the Punjab Police on May 6 after they arrested Bagga from his home in west Delhi’s Janakpuri in connection with a case registered against him in Punjab’s Mohali.

Within hours, the Delhi Police convoy taking him to Punjab was stopped by the Haryana Police in Kurukshetra, after the Delhi Police registered a kidnapping case against unknown persons at the Janakpuri police station on a complaint given by Bagga’s father Preet Pal Singh. Bagga was later brought to Delhi by the Delhi Police team.

Officials in the know of the case said Bagga’s statement, as the victim in the “kidnapping” case, could not be recorded before the court on Monday as he was out of town.

Advocates Sanket Gupta and YP Singh, who appeared on behalf of Bagga and Preet Pal Singh, informed metropolitan magistrate Neetika Kapoor about Bagga’s non-appearance for recording his statement and also submitted that they will move an application for releasing the two mobile phones.

They also submitted that Bagga apprehends a “grave threat” and “danger to his life and the life of his father”, who is the complainant in the present case, and that police security be provided to him and his family.

“Thereafter, we filed two separate applications before the court. In the first application, we mentioned that the two cellphones were currently in the custody of the IO (investigating officer) of the Janakpuri case and that they may be released to Bagga and his father. The second application mentioned that there is every likelihood that similar incidents endangering the life and liberty of our client (Bagga) will again be repeated and that he is living under constant apprehension of threat to his life and liberty,” said advocate Gupta, adding that the police officers concerned will file a reply before the court on Tuesday.

On Monday, Preet Pal Singh also filed a complaint with the National Commission for Minorities against officers of the Punjab Police accusing them of “committing religious atrocity and sacrilege”.