Ludhiana, September 19: BJP leader and former Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu was detained by Punjab Police on Saturday after he staged a protest near the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) gate while Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s cavalcade was passing through the area.
Mann had arrived at the university to attend the ongoing Kisan Mela when the protest took place. According to a BJP statement, Bittu held a liquor bottle towards the Chief Minister’s vehicle, saying he was “returning the bottle,” and also raised allegations against the Punjab government.
The protest followed Bittu’s allegation that his convoy was attacked near Batala on Friday while he was travelling to Pathankot for the BJP’s ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’. He alleged that protesters threw eggs and tomatoes at the vehicles and damaged some windows.
On Saturday, Bittu said he was returning the eggs and tomatoes allegedly thrown at his convoy and asserted that BJP workers would exercise their right to protest against the state government and its leaders.
Bittu also alleged that police personnel were present when his convoy was surrounded and claimed that protesters threatened the members of his convoy. He sought registration of an FIR and action against those allegedly involved in the incident.
The BJP has launched the ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’ across the state, saying the campaign is aimed at raising awareness about drug abuse.
Punjab BJP Mahila Morcha president Jai Inder Kaur alleged that the incident involving Bittu was intended to divert attention from the party’s anti-drug campaign. The allegations made by BJP leaders have not been independently verified.
Punjab Police subsequently detained Bittu following the protest near the PAU gate.