Batala: Tensions flared in Punjab on Friday after the cavalcade of Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu was ambushed along the Batala-Gurdaspur highway. The incident unfolded while the senior politician was travelling towards Pathankot to participate in an anti-drug yatra organised by his party. A large crowd gathered along the route and hurled eggs, tomatoes, and stones at the motorcade, shattering the window panes of two escort vehicles and damaging a security jammer vehicle.
The convoy, consisting of roughly eight to nine vehicles protected by Z-plus security personnel, encountered intense resistance from demonstrators who had reportedly blocked key stretches of the road. According to eyewitness accounts and officials, the hostile crowd shouted threatening slogans as vehicles manoeuvred through the disruption. Bittu alleged that several agitators in the mob were armed with weapons and deliberately targeted his cavalcade to disrupt the political programme.
Following the confrontation, security officers managed to steer the leader away from the hostile crowd and move him to a safe house. Three individuals suspected of participating in the assault were reportedly apprehended on the spot by the protection detail and handed over to local authorities. The former Union minister stated that he promptly alerted the Union Home Ministry regarding the security breach, emphasizing that the state administration and police leadership must take full accountability for the safety of public figures.
The altercation caused severe traffic snarls on the highway and prevented the delegation from proceeding towards the scheduled rally venue on time. Local police forces were dispatched to disperse the remaining protesters and clear the highway blockades. An official investigation into the incident is underway to identify the instigators and ascertain the security lapses that permitted the crowd to obstruct a high-security motorcade.
