Cops detain 2 youths found drunk before Bittu’s rally

Ludhiana: The massive roadshow organised by Congress leaders and workers on Saturday to welcome MP Ravneet Bittu to Ludhiana after he was allotted the ticket by the party has brought embarrassment for the party’s district unit. Late evening just before Bittu’s cavalcade was about to reach Ghantaghar, police arrested two persons (one of whom is stated to be the son of a Congress councillor) along with their SUV car, and found several bottles of liquor with them.
According to people present on the spot, the youths seemed to be in an inebriated condition. Stickers of the Congress party and MP Bittu too were found pasted on the car, and when questioned, the detained persons admitted they had come to attend Bittu’s roadshow. A video of the entire incident has gone viral on social media, thus leaving the Congress party red-faced. According to ASI Gurmeet Singh, the investigating officer of the case, on Friday, two persons — Kamaljit Singh and Rohit Malhotra — were booked under Section 68 of the Excise Act, after liquor bottles were recovered from their car. Both of them were released on bail as per the law.

Speaking to TOI over the incident, Ashwani Sharma, district president of the Congress party (who was part of Bittu’s roadshow) said: “I’m totally unaware about the incident, and I don’t know who the occupants of the car were. Moreover, it can’t be a car of our motorcade as the incident is said to have occurred before our cars reached Ghantaghar. These are false allegations. Moreover, when police have registered a case, then whosoever they are, they will be dealt with as per the law.”

Notably, many city residents have already been criticising Congress for the inconvenience caused by the roadshow organised by the party on Saturday, as the massive motorcade led to hours-long traffic jams wherever it passed.