NEW DELHI, 01 May — Former Punjab Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) president and two-time legislator Sucha Singh Chottepur was prevented from boarding a US-bound flight at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport after immigration authorities allegedly impounded his passport citing its “misuse” and a related criminal case.
Chottepur, who was en route to Los Angeles to attend his grand-niece’s wedding, had been booked on a Qatar Airways flight scheduled for the night between April 28 and 29. He stated that despite holding a valid tourist visa, officials barred his travel, claiming his passport had been used fraudulently.
“I was shocked when they stopped me, saying the passport had been misused by someone else and that a criminal case had been registered,” Chottepur said in an interview following the incident.“This seemed to be a long-drawn conspiracy. My documents were complete — so on what grounds was I prevented from flying?”
Chottepur said he attempted to present his version of events to immigration personnel, asserting there were no pending civil or criminal cases against him.
“I told them everything, but they refused to listen. They were simply adamant. It appeared to be a pre-designed move,” he added.
While no official statement has been issued by immigration authorities as of yet, Chottepur has demanded clarity on the reasons behind the alleged impounding of his passport and the nature of the purported case.
The former legislator led AAP’s Punjab unit during its initial years of expansion in the state before parting ways with the party.
