Former Punjab Minister Stopped at Delhi Airport, Passport Confiscated

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Former Punjab minister Sucha Singh Chhotepur was barred from flying to the United States from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and had his passport confiscated by immigration officials. Chhotepur was en route to Los Angeles to attend a relative's daughter's wedding on a tourist visa. He described the incident as “very sad” and stated that he had all valid documents, including a tourist visa, but was still denied boarding by officials who claimed his passport had been misused. He denied any wrongdoing and said he had never given his passport to anyone nor had it been lost or stolen.

Chhotepur had arrived in Delhi on the night of April 28–29 to board a Qatar Airways flight. He said immigration authorities refused to explain the reason for the stop beyond citing “passport misuse” and did not consider his arguments or documents. The former minister added that he had traveled abroad on multiple occasions in the past and had renewed his passport in 2019 from the Jalandhar RPO. He was informed that the passport would be sent to the Jalandhar office within 10–15 days, after which the full matter would be disclosed.

He now plans to visit the passport office and pursue the matter further, indicating potential legal steps if necessary. This incident comes weeks after Punjab's current Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian was denied permission to visit the US by the Ministry of External Affairs. Last year, Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan also faced rejection for an international trip to Kentucky, USA.