BJP Leader Ravneet Singh Bittu Detained After Protest Near Punjab CM Convoy

Former Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ravneet Singh Bittu was detained by Punjab Police on Saturday after staging a protest outside the Punjab Agricultural University gate in Ludhiana, where Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was scheduled to attend a Kisan Mela. Bittu carried eggs and tomatoes to the demonstration, stating he intended to return them following an alleged attack on his own convoy a day earlier.

The confrontation marks a sharp escalation in political tensions between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and the BJP in Punjab. Bittu alleged that his cavalcade was targeted on Friday while he was traveling to Pathankot for the party's Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra, claiming that roughly 500 individuals threw stones, eggs, and tomatoes, smashing vehicle window panes and damaging escort and jammer vehicles. He asserted that local police officers acted as passive observers during the incident and allowed the perpetrators to escape.

Ludhiana Police intercepted Bittu as he approached the Chief Minister's cavalcade with the produce collected from the previous day's episode. Footage shared by the BJP leader captured officers detaining him while he chanted slogans and urged authorities to take action. Police subsequently whisked him away to an undisclosed location before releasing him later in the day.

Following his release, Bittu maintained that opposition voices cannot be suppressed through administrative measures or police action. He warned that BJP workers would continue to organize peaceful demonstrations outside government programs and official venues across the state if ruling party members persisted in disrupting their political rallies.

Bittu connected the alleged assault on his yatra directly to the state's narcotics crisis, accusing the administration of shielding individuals involved in drug trafficking. He challenged the Chief Minister to confront him directly, alleging that security personnel failed to intervene adequately when his vehicles were surrounded by demonstrators carrying weapons.

The former Union Minister also stated that he brought the security breach and the alleged assault to the attention of the Union Home Ministry. He asserted that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the state Director General of Police would bear full responsibility if any harm came to him or members of his entourage during future political engagements.

Addressing the public following the protest, Bittu raised concerns regarding the disruption of religious processions. He referred to the ongoing celebrations of the Viah Purab of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, noting that devotees had been cleaning and preparing roads for travelers paying obeisance. Bittu criticized the presence of debris and thrown objects along routes used by pilgrims and called upon Jathedar Sahib to lodge a formal complaint. He urged religious authorities to examine the incident and ensure that individuals responsible for disrupting the path of the Sangat face accountability within the community.