Why was Pawan Khera arrested at Delhi Airport by Assam Police? What’s the case against him?

New Delhi: High voltage drama unfolded at the Delhi Airport on Thursday as Congress leader Pawan Khera was deplaned from an Indigo flight and subsequently arrested. For sometime, Congress leaders were also confused & clueless over the reason cited for dislodging Khera from the plane but soon it emerged that it was Assam Police which came looking for him. A case was lodged against senior Congress leader at Haflong police station in Assam’s Dima Hasao district, over his insulting remarks on PM Modi.

Not less than 50 Congress leaders & workers were on way of Chhattisgarh’s Raipur when Pawan Khera was de-boarded and made to wait for his arrest. Congress leaders staged protest on the tarmac, protesting against the ‘high-handedness’ of Assam Police and called it a draconian move to silence leaders of rival parties.

Khera was arrested by the Assam Police & produced in a Delhi court today seeking his transit remand. Though, Khera got a reprieve from the Supreme Court as it granted him interim bail.

Congress leader Randeep Surjewala told the newsmen that Kheda was forcefully brought down from the plane and termed it gross abuse of law. He said that Kheda was arrested without any warrant and questioned how the Assam Police, acting on the orders of Himanta government, can resort to such tactics?

“Modi Teri Kabar Khudegi”, these are the words of frustrated Congressi using for our respected PM Modi Ji

Ye hai aapke nafrat ke bazar me mohabbat ki dukan @RahulGandhi ???

pic.twitter.com/SBfNcIaqwj

— Naweed (@Spoof_Junkey) February 23, 2023

Khera’s insulting remarks on PM Modi that got him in trouble

Pawan Khera’s arrest came on back of his ‘obnoxious’ comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi & his father during a press conference on alleged scam by Adani Group. Soon after, the BJP demanded Congress leader’s arrest over an affront to PM Modi. Several FIRs were filed against Congress leader for his insulting remarks, in Uttar Pradesh & Assam.

At a recent press conference , Khera bumbled on Narendra Modi’s name while making an urgent call for Joint Parliamentary Probe (JPC) into Adani-Hindenburg row.

“If Narasimha Rao could form a JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee), if Atal Bihari Vajpayee could form a JPC, then what problem does Narendra Gautam Das…sorry Damodardas…Modi have?” he said, appearing to confirm the middle name with a colleague.

The BJP saw red over Khera’s ‘deliberate’ insult to PM Modi. BJP MLC Mukesh Sharma said that Pawan Khera mocked PM’s father by deliberately fumbling on his name.

Why Assam Police came looking for Khera?

Countering the charges by Congress leaders that Kheda was arrested without any warrant, the Assam police said that since the offence was cognizable, it didn’t need any warrant. It informed that the Congress leader was arrested under Section 153A, 120B.

Pawan Khera along with Congress leaders were flying to Raipur for the plenary session of All India Congress Committee (AICC), when the Assam Police came looking for him.

Moments after arrest, Khera said that he was ready for a long fight as he did nothing wrong.

What Indigo airline said

Indigo Airlines which came in the spotlight over Khera’s forced exit from plane issued a statement and said that it regretted the inconvenience caused to travelers due to delay. It refrained from making any comment on Delhi Police’s communication to it for keeping the flight stranded or why the ‘distinct’ passenger was deplaned.