CHANDIGARH: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) senior vice-president and national spokesperson Parambans Singh Bunty Romana was denied entry to Canada after landing at Toronto airport on Thursday, according to SAD's Kanwarjit Singh Rozy Barkandi. Romana was scheduled to lead a party delegation to Canada for NRI outreach ahead of the 2027 Punjab assembly elections.
Details of the Incident
Barkandi, a former MLA from Muktsar, told TOI that Romana was to be sent back to India on the same plane. He added that Romana's wife informed him that one reason for denial was the lack of a police clearance certificate related to a case. However, Romana had court permission to travel to Canada.
Political Blame Game
Barkandi accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of orchestrating the denial, alleging that Romana was shown videos of his press conferences criticizing the government. AAP spokesperson Neel Garg dismissed the allegations as baseless, stating that the matter is between the external affairs ministries of India and Canada, and the Punjab government has no involvement.
Romana's visit was his first to Canada. While other SAD delegation members left for Canada on Thursday, Romana departed a day earlier to visit his daughter, who studies in Toronto.
Upcoming SAD Delegation
The SAD team is scheduled to tour several Canadian provinces from June 13 to 29 to garner support for the upcoming assembly polls. Barkandi, who is also part of the delegation, is still awaiting his visa.
