Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was allegedly detained for nearly three hours at the Delhi airport upon his return from Paris and was later issued a challan of Rs 50,000, state AAP media in-charge Baltej Pannu claimed in a video statement.He, however, did not specify why the fine was imposed but claimed airport officials cited “tremendous pressure from above”. He linked the alleged incident to the Centre’s repeated denial of permission for Mann’s foreign visits, withholding of Punjab’s funds and its handling of the farmers’ protest, accusing the Modi government of creating hurdles in Punjab’s development.He said, “The CM had gone to Paris to launch Punjab’s famous products at the world’s second-largest food festival. The high court had directed that CM Mann be accorded due protocol, but the Consul General in Paris did not come to meet him. And when he returned, he was detained at the airport for three hours. Excuses were made that ‘your luggage is still arriving’ and ‘your luggage is still being checked’. These were outright lies and an insult to Punjab.”He further alleged that as Mann was preparing to leave the airport after collecting his luggage, officials approached him and said they were under “tremendous pressure from above” before issuing the Rs 50,000 challan. Pannu claimed this indicated the entire episode had been carried out on instructions from higher authorities.Condemning what he termed the Centre’s “anti-Punjab” stance, Pannu said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government leave no opportunity to undermine Punjab and Punjabi identity. This episode is a direct attack on Punjab’s dignity.”He claimed that permission for Mann’s foreign visits had been denied at least four times because the Centre feared that such visits could help Punjab attract investment and promote economic growth.