India, Nov. 3 -- Newspaper deliveries were delayed across several parts of Punjab on Sunday morning after police conducted extensive vehicle checking operations, particularly targeting commercial transport vehicles in the early hours.

While Punjab Police clarified that the exercise was based on specific intelligence inputs related to security concerns, opposition parties accused the AAP government of attempting to curb press freedom.

Distribution was affected in Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar districts, where vehicles carrying newspapers reportedly reached distribution centres around 7:30am, causing delays in doorstep delivery. Drivers claimed they were asked to unload newspaper bundles for inspection.

In Ludhiana, readers in localities such...