{"id":12258,"date":"2026-09-19T10:48:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T10:48:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/?p=12258"},"modified":"2026-09-19T10:48:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T10:48:17","slug":"ravneet-bittu-detained-near-bhagwant-manns-convoy-as-punjab-political-tensions-escalate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/?p=12258","title":{"rendered":"Ravneet Bittu Detained Near Bhagwant Mann\u2019s Convoy as Punjab Political Tensions Escalate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ludhiana \u2014 Political tensions in Punjab intensified on Saturday after BJP leader and former Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu was detained by police during a protest near Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann\u2019s convoy in Ludhiana, a day after Bittu alleged that his own cavalcade had been attacked near Batala.

The two-day confrontation has brought Punjab\u2019s already sharp political contest into focus, with the BJP accusing the ruling Aam Aadmi Party of obstructing its anti-drug campaign, while the latest police action followed Bittu\u2019s attempt to stage a demonstration during the Chief Minister\u2019s visit to Punjab Agricultural University (PAU).

Bittu was detained near Gate No. 8 of PAU as Mann\u2019s convoy was passing through the area. Reports said the BJP leader was carrying eggs and tomatoes and had displayed them towards the Chief Minister\u2019s cavalcade. He also carried a liquor bottle as part of his protest. Police intervened and took him away from the spot.

Bittu\u2019s office said the demonstration was intended as a symbolic response to what he described as the attack on his convoy near Batala on Friday. According to his side, he wanted to show the Chief Minister the eggs, tomatoes and other objects allegedly thrown at his vehicles.

The BJP leader subsequently described the action as a political protest and said his party would continue to raise issues concerning Punjab through public demonstrations. Punjab Police, meanwhile, treated the incident as a law-and-order matter and detained him as the Chief Minister\u2019s convoy moved through the area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dispute began with alleged attack near Batala

The confrontation dates back to Friday, when Bittu was travelling from Amritsar towards Pathankot to participate in the BJP\u2019s newly launched \u2018Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra\u2019.

Bittu alleged that his convoy was surrounded near Ghasitpura village, around eight kilometres from Batala on the Amritsar-Pathankot highway. He claimed that a large group threw eggs and stones at his vehicles and that some vehicles in the security convoy were damaged.

According to Bittu, his security personnel apprehended three people whom he alleged were associated with the ruling AAP. He also accused Batala MLA Sherry Kalsi of being behind the incident. These allegations have not been independently established, and the involvement of AAP workers remains a matter of political dispute.
Bittu questioned how protesters could have known the route and timing of his movement, pointing to his security arrangements and the presence of police in the area. He demanded an investigation and raised concerns about the security of political leaders participating in the BJP\u2019s anti-drug campaign.

The incident occurred on the day the BJP launched its statewide \u2018Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra\u2019 from Madhopur in Pathankot. The campaign, led by BJP national president Nitin Nabin, is scheduled to cover all 117 Assembly constituencies before culminating in Jalandhar on September 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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BJP alleges political obstruction

The BJP has presented the two incidents as part of a wider confrontation over its campaign against drugs in Punjab.

Bittu and other BJP leaders have accused the AAP government of attempting to obstruct the party\u2019s anti-drug campaign. Bittu has also alleged that people associated with the ruling party were involved in Friday\u2019s confrontation.

The AAP has denied involvement in the alleged attack, while the precise circumstances surrounding the incident near Batala remain subject to investigation and competing political claims.

The BJP\u2019s anti-drug campaign has added another layer to the political contest in Punjab, where the drug problem has emerged as a major issue ahead of the 2027 Assembly election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From Batala to Ludhiana in 24 hours

The rapid sequence of events has made Bittu\u2019s detention the second major confrontation involving the BJP in less than 24 hours.

On Friday, Bittu was on his way to join the BJP\u2019s anti-drug march when he reported the alleged attack on his convoy near Batala. On Saturday, he appeared near the PAU campus as Mann was scheduled to attend the Kisan Mela.

The Chief Minister was in Ludhiana to address farmers at PAU, where he spoke about agriculture, irrigation and the state\u2019s efforts to increase the use of canal water.
Bittu\u2019s protest therefore took place against the backdrop of a high-profile public programme attended by the Chief Minister and a large gathering of farmers and agricultural stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A political confrontation with wider implications

The incidents have raised questions beyond the immediate confrontation between two political camps.

For the BJP, the controversy comes at the beginning of its statewide anti-drug campaign, which the party has described as a mass movement against drug trafficking and addiction. For the Punjab government, maintaining security around the Chief Minister while allowing opposition parties to protest presents a competing administrative challenge.

The allegations surrounding Friday\u2019s incident and Saturday\u2019s detention remain politically contested. Establishing who was responsible for the alleged attack near Batala will require an investigation rather than reliance on competing claims made by political parties.

What is already clear, however, is that the confrontation has sharply escalated the political rhetoric in Punjab. The BJP has linked the incidents to its campaign against drugs, while the AAP government faces renewed scrutiny over law and order and the handling of opposition protests.

With the 2027 Assembly election approaching, the dispute also illustrates how issues of drugs, public safety, political mobilisation and law and order are increasingly overlapping in Punjab\u2019s political debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ludhiana \u2014 Political tensions in Punjab intensified on Saturday after BJP leader and former Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu was detained by police during a protest near Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann\u2019s convoy in Ludhiana, a day after Bittu alleged that his own cavalcade had been attacked near Batala. The two-day confrontation has brought Punjab\u2019s already […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[24,22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-12258","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics","8":"category-punjab-2"},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t