Ravneet Singh Bittu, a BJP leader and Union minister, has been detained by Punjab Police in Ludhiana. In a highly dramatic demonstration near the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) gate, Bittu held a liquor bottle and threw the objects back, which were reportedly thrown in his own vehicle the previous day.
Demonstration inside the PAU gate
A confrontation between Bittu and security personnel occurred as they tried to stop him from approaching the vehicles of the chief minister who came to visit the Kisan Mela.
Retaliation: Raising a liquor bottle against the passing vehicles, Bittu said that he was returning the bottle, making fun of the leadership of Punjab over the existing political differences.
Returning the projectiles: Bittu also threw the tomatoes and eggs, which were reportedly thrown in his vehicles during an earlier incident near Batala while on the BJP’s Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra.
Detention of the BJP leader: As he was heavily outnumbered by the police escorting the VIP, Mr. Bittu was promptly detained and taken out of the university premises.
Escalating violence over Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra
The clash in Ludhiana is yet another instance of rapidly increasing political tension within the state.
The Batala incident: The protest served as immediate payback for an assault a day earlier near Pathankot, where Bittu claimed his Z-plus protected convoy was targeted with eggs, stones, and weapons by ruling party workers.
Demanding action: Flanked by party members, Bittu slammed local police inaction over the alleged attack, accusing state leadership of shielding perpetrators and failing to maintain public order during the anti-drug campaign.
Defiant stance: Vowing that BJP cadres will answer every obstruction democratically, Bittu asserted that opposition figures will continue staging peaceful protests outside official government programs.
