Pawan Khera stopped from boarding flight at Delhi airport, Congress alleges “dictatorship”

Congress leader Pawan Khera was prevented from boarding a plane at Delhi airport on Thursday after the Assam Police requested that he be stopped, the Delhi Police said.

The Congress leaders protested after Delhi Police prevented Khera from boarding the plane at the airport. Pawan Khera stated in a video posted on Congress’s Twitter account that he has no idea why he was deboarded.

“I don’t know. I was told that your baggage has to be checked. I said I do not have any luggage except a handbag. When I came down, I was told that I cannot go, a DCP would come. We are waiting for the DCP for the last 20 minutes. I don’t know why am I being stopped,” he said.

Congress leader Supriya Shrinate alleged that the Congress leaders were en route to Chhattisgarh’s Raipur to attend the party’s 85th Plenary Session when Khera was asked to deboard. She accused the BJP government of “dictatorship”.

“We were going from Delhi to Raipur by Indigo flight 6E-204. Pawan Khera, KC Venugopal, Randeep Surjewala was also with us. We were heading to Raipur for the Congress Plenary Session. Pawar Khera was taken away stating that his bag has been exchanged but he was not carrying check-in baggage. He was then told that he had been deplaned and a DSP of CISF would come and serve him notice. If this is not a dictatorship, then what is it? Would you stop people from boarding the flight? The dictator got ED raids done before the session and now the government has come down to this kind of act,” she said in a video tweeted by the Congress party.

She also inquired about the sections under which action was being taken against Khera, and stated that they would not board the flight to Raipur until the Congress leader was allowed to board with the rest of the passengers.

“What wrong has he done that this action is being taken? The action is being taken under which sections, they will have to tell. We will keep standing here until the flight departs along with all of us including Pawan Khera,” she said.

KC Venugopal who was also accompanying the group, tweeted, “Modi govt is acting like a bunch of goons by deplaning @Pawankhera ji from the Delhi-Raipur flight and preventing him from joining the AICC Plenary. Using a flimsy FIR to restrict his movement & silence him is a shameful, unacceptable act. The entire party stands with Pawan ji.”

“Today we were going for the Congress Plenary Sessoin to Raipur, and our colleague Pawan Khera was told that he left his luggage but he was not carrying any luggage. Then the Police came and said Assam Police has registered an FIR,” Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said.

“We asked them to show an arrest warrant but they did not show any order. It is completely illegal Assam and Delhi Police have stopped our flight forcefully,” Surjewala added.

Meanwhile, sources said that the CISF has deployed the force to handle the situation.