Taking cognizance of a video on social media, the Punjab State Commission for Scheduled Castes on Friday directed the Sangrur senior superintendent of police (SSP) to probe the recent incident where Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu allegedly used casteist slurs.
In a letter issued under the Punjab Commission for Scheduled Castes Act, 2004, the panel mandated that the action-taken report be presented by 9am on June 1.
The commission ordered the personal appearance of the superintendent of police (headquarters) and warned that failure to comply will force it to exercise the powers of a civil court granted under Section 10(1) of the Act.
The controversy stems from a confrontation on May 26, the day of voting for the Punjab civic elections, when Bittu attempted to enter Dhuri. The situation escalated after police detained BJP leader Onkar Singh, a former officer on special duty to Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, for allegedly campaigning for the BJP during the mandatory silent period.
When police attempted to bar Bittu from entering the area to secure Onkar Singh’s release, a scuffle ensued, during which the Union minister of state for railways allegedly used inappropriate language and casteist slurs against the officials.
A video capturing Bittu’s tense exchange with Sangrur SSP Ravjot Grewal, SP Rajesh Chibber, and other police personnel subsequently went viral on social media, prompting the commission’s intervention.
Punjab Aam Aadmi Party president Aman Arora accused Bittu of “gundagardi (hooliganism)”, using objectionable language against the police and trying to obstruct them when they attempted to enforce the statutory rules.
