Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu has alleged that his convoy was targeted in a “pre-planned attack” near Batala in Punjab on Friday while he was on his way to Pathankot to attend the BJP’s anti-drug yatra. Speaking to India Today TV, Bittu claimed that more than 200 people gathered near a langar and attacked his cavalcade with stones and eggs, damaging escort vehicles and the jammer vehicle.
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According to Bittu, the convoy was stopped after a police pilot vehicle was placed in front of it on the GT Road. He alleged that a group of people then emerged from the gathering and began pelting the vehicles.
He claimed that the attackers included an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) constituency in-charge, a district council member and a block committee member.
“A window pane of two escort vehicles broke. They also damaged the jammer vehicle,” Bittu said, adding that eggs thrown at the jammer vehicle created foam that obstructed the driver’s view and caused it to veer off course.
He alleged that stones and eggs were also hurled at his vehicle as the crowd moved towards him.
Bittu further alleged that the local police failed to act and, instead, directed the attackers towards his convoy.
He claimed that his security personnel apprehended three people following the incident, but that a larger crowd subsequently gathered and attempted to free them.
‘AMIT SHAH’S OFFICE STEPPED IN’
The former Union Minister said the situation could have taken a dangerous turn had the office of Home Minister Amit Shah not intervened. Bittu claimed that he repeatedly contacted the Punjab DGP and later approached the Union Home Minister’s office after a mob of around 200 people gathered at the spot.
He alleged that three armed men had managed to escape police custody and warned that his security team could have been forced to open fire if the mob had continued to grow.
“Do you want a Z-plus protectee killed here? No one is arriving,” Bittu said he told the DGP. He claimed that after his communication with the Home Minister’s office, Batala-based IPS officer Mehtab Singh reached the spot and the situation was eventually brought under control.
NO FIR REGISTERED, BITTU CLAIMS
The former BJP MP also alleged that no FIR had been registered over the incident and claimed that a police officer told him to submit his complaint by email.
He accused the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government of allowing a nexus involving politicians, police and gangsters to operate in Punjab.
Turning his attack towards the state government’s handling of the drug menace, Bittu alleged that the “chitta” trade and drug networks had become deeply entrenched in Punjab.
He accused the AAP government of using people linked to criminal activities for political purposes and alleged that gangsters were being brought into political positions to influence elections.
These claims were made by Bittu without presenting evidence during the interview.
Bittu also criticised the state’s law and order situation, alleging that Punjab Police had been reduced to “puppets” of the government.
He claimed that the police and political leadership were failing to protect the state’s youth from drugs and alleged the emergence of a “combination of the government, the police, and gangsters”.
BITTU’S STERN WARNING TO BHAGWANT MANN
In a direct warning to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Bittu said, “The day I get my hands on his neck, I will settle the score with him.”
He also made a reference to Mann being “always dead drunk”. The remarks came while Bittu was accusing the Chief Minister of being responsible for the alleged attack and the wider law and order situation.
BJP CONDEMNS ATTACK ON BITTU
The BJP backed Bittu’s allegations and targeted the AAP government over the incident. BJP Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Chugh accused Mann and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal of being behind the alleged attack and claimed that “mafia raj” was operating openly in Punjab.
BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi also attacked the Mann government, alleging that the state’s youth had been pushed towards drug addiction.
Bittu, meanwhile, maintained that the alleged attack was intended to intimidate BJP leaders and workers and disrupt the party’s anti-drug campaign. The allegations regarding the attackers, police involvement and the circumstances surrounding the incident remain claims made by Bittu and the BJP.
– Ends
with PTI inputs
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
